The Once and Future Taiyoukai
by RosieB
Summary: The well was supposed to be stable. It was supposed to send her to Inuyasha. And it failed. Now, Kagome's even farther into the past and she must depend on a young Sesshoumaru, who has no idea of what their shared future holds. But neither does Kagome.
1. One Thousand Cranes

A/N: Greetings all. I've been thinking about doing this story for ages and I'm very excited about it. I'm glad to have you guys reading it, especially those loyal readers who have been following me since the beginning! I adore you all. Anyway, this is the first story of mine that I will be posting on two sites – fanfiction and Single Spark. This is just a note to tell you that the versions will be identical unless I say otherwise. Okay! Let's get to it, shall we?

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 1: One Thousand Cranes

She took out a new sheet of paper and turned towards the fox kit. The foil glittered in the firelight, flame upon sapphire blue. Placing it down on her book, she smiled. "Okay, let me show you how to do it, Shippo. It's really simple." She folded it so that the diagonal corners met and creased it with a practiced hand. "And now the other way."

The fox watched with a steady green gaze. "Hey Sango, do you know how to do this?" he asked, keeping his eyes on what Kagome was doing.

The taijiya smiled and shook her head. "No, but I have seen Kagome do it before."

"Come on, Shippo." Kagome pulled out another sheet of paper, a golden one this time. "Just follow my lead."

The kitsune carefully lined up the edges and mimicked the miko's folds. "Why do people do this, Kagome?"

"Well, they say that the gods will grant a wish to anyone that makes one thousand paper cranes."

"Wow. Maybe I should try." He looked down at the paper in his hands with a new reverence.

Miroku leaned back against a tree trunk across the fire. "What would you wish for, Shippo?"

The fox sat in silence for a few moments, a pensive look upon his face. "I would wish for you to stay with us forever, Kagome!" he said finally, looking up at his adoptive mother.

The miko smiled and embraced the kit, the cranes lying half-folded between them. "That's so sweet, Shippo! Thank you."

Miroku turned to the demon slayer. "What would _you_ wish for, my dearest Sango?"

She sighed and picked up Hiraikotsu, weighing it in her hands. "Why do you want to know?"

"He just wants to see if it's about him," teased Kagome. She smiled at the taijiya. "Is it?"

Color darkened her cheeks. "No, of course not. I would wish for Naraku's death and the completion of the Jewel."

"Which would free me from the wind tunnel and allow me to marry you," said Miroku. He chuckled at her stricken expression. "Ah, Sango, all of your roads lead to me."

The demon slayer's blush deepened. "What would you wish for, Kagome?" she asked, as she kept a menacing eye upon the monk.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I would wish for?"

"No!" the girls replied in unison. When the monk pouted, Kagome shook her head with a sardonic smile gracing her features. "I think we all know what you would wish for, Miroku. We have children present!"

"One child."

The fox kit's tail twitched. "Yeah, and even I know your answer!" he cried. "Don't say it!" Kirara mewed her agreement as she sat beside Sango.

Kagome laughed at the downtrodden monk. "Sorry, Miroku. I think you're outnumbered on this one."

"So Kagome, what would be your wish?" Sango asked again.

"Same as you," she said immediately. She glared at the monk as he cleared his throat. "For _different_ reasons than you think, Miroku."

"Ah, too bad."

Silence fell and they shifted uncomfortably in their seats by the fire. The ability to ignore it only lasted so long. They were accustomed to the enveloping darkness of an autumn night, but they would never get used to the silence. Lately, it had been following them, warping Nature as they walked through the forests. Although they had not discussed it among themselves, the three humans were in agreement about who could be blamed for this oppressive quiet.

Kagome shook herself, trying to fight off the chill, and scooted closer to the fire. Staring into the flames, she asked the question everyone knew she had to ask. "What would _you_ wish for?" It was barely more than a whisper.

A gentle whine filled the air as a snake-like apparition slid out from the dark. It avoided the fire, firmly fixed to the perimeter of the light. Circling Kagome and Sango, it rested briefly upon the miko's shoulder before returning to the dark.

"You do not care."

Kagome lifted her eyes to see the muted colors of their companion's robes, barely inside the corona of firelight. If she moved another few inches back, only Shippo and Kirara would have been able to see her. "Yes, I do." She straightened her spine. "Please tell us."

"I would wish for the ability to take final revenge upon all that have injured me in both my life and death." Kikyo's pale face turned to look at her reincarnation. "I suppose it is a wish not entirely dissimilar to your own."

"I suppose not," murmured Kagome. They looked at one another.

"Inuyasha is returning," said the other miko.

Kagome looked back into the fire with a sigh. Didn't some women throw themselves onto the funeral pyre of their loved ones? They had left them, and they didn't want to be left. She felt as if she was burning already.

She stood up, broke up a branch and put it onto the fire. A few leftover leaves crackled and smoked. Inuyasha came into the clearing and wrinkled his nose. "Take off the leaves first next time," he muttered.

"Alright."

He had brought fish for their dinner, because Miroku had complained about having rabbit for the last several nights in a row. They cooked the fish over the fire in the only aluminum pan Kagome had left of a set her mother had bought for her eighteenth birthday, to replace the ones damaged beyond repair that she had gotten for her sixteenth. Inuyasha sat between Kikyo and Kagome, although it was a large enough gap for all of them to fit into, and talked quietly to Kikyo as the soul stealers hovered behind them.

Ever since Inuyasha had convinced Kikyo to join them on their quest five weeks ago, he was the only one that seemed comfortable conversing with the elder miko. He ignored the unease of the others, even when Miroku made a subtle comment about it. Kikyo, of course, spoke with no more animation with Inuyasha than she did with the rest of the group. It was painful for all of them, but sometimes they thanked the heavens that Inuyasha was there, so that her cold eyes were not crawling over their skins.

Sango touched Kagome's shoulder softly. "How are you?" she asked. This was another recent development – the periodical concern of Sango, Miroku and Shippo on the reincarnation's behalf. They never spoke of it, because 'it' usually sat a few feet away, but they asked anyway, although she could never answer.

"I'm fine." She pulled her fish out of the fire and inspected it. An undercooked wild turkey had ruined her winter holiday for her senior year of high school and she no longer took chances. Satisfied this time, she bit into it.

"Are you going home any time soon?" asked the demon slayer as she picked apart her own fish.

Kagome shrugged. "Maybe. I need to stock up on some first aid supplies and ramen. Why?"

"You've been here for awhile, that's all. I know you don't have any more of those tests now, but you spent your birthday here. Doesn't your family miss you?"

"Of course, but they know why I'm here." She took a thin fish bone out of her mouth and threw it into the fire. "And it's not like I have much to go back to. All of my friends are at university already and Sota's busy with those extra classes he's taking to get into a good high school. It's just Mom and Grandpa."

Sango nodded. "Still, you may need a break from all this."

Inuyasha paused in his hushed, halting conversation with Kikyo and looked over. "Kagome? Needs a break? Keh. I'll let you go home for ramen, but you better come right back!" He chewed on his dinner. "And not yet! I want to find another shard first."

"But we're very close to the well," said Sango, frowning. "Why can't she go home and join us in the morning in the village?"

"No. We need more shards first. The fight with Naraku is coming."

Kagome tossed the rest of the fish bones into the fire. "You've been saying that for more than four years."

"She hasn't even been home since before her nineteenth birthday, Inuyasha. Let her go."

"No."

"Let her go."

They all turned to look at Kikyo. "Why are you siding with her?" asked the hanyou, his voice softening considerably.

The elder miko shook her head. "I do not side with anyone, Inuyasha. But if my reincarnation wants to return home, why should we prevent that?"

Kagome felt a knot forming in her stomach. "Well, I would come back as soon as I could."

"Why?" replied Kikyo, her eyes fixed upon the other girl.

She faltered. "I…I… why wouldn't I come back?"

Kikyo stood up with an ethereal grace that only the dead could master. Kagome scrambled to her feet. "Why do you need to return at all?" asked the elder miko, her voice a cold whisper. "I can detect the shards and my skills with a bow surpass your own. I will not endanger the others."

"I don't… I don't endanger them." Kagome looked around at her friends. "Inuyasha?"

He frowned at Kikyo. "Kagome helps us," he said simply.

"At what cost?" asked the priestess. "She is not safe here, Inuyasha. Any demon could kill her in a moment. She is the only one that cannot defend herself."

"After four years, I think I've improved considerably," said Kagome, her eyes wide.

Kikyo blinked slowly. "Improvement means nothing if you cannot prevent your own injury. Or someone else's. You are a liability. I told Inuyasha that when I joined this group."

She looked at him, tears crystallizing in the corners of her eyes. "You've been talking about this. This isn't something you just decided. How could you not fight for me?"

The hanyou's ears were flattened. "I dunno. Maybe she's right, Kagome. You don't need to be here anymore. You can go back and do that university thing all your friends are doing. We've got someone to help with finding the shards."

Sango and Miroku leapt to their feet. "Kagome would never choose to leave us," the monk said, his voice strong and angry. "You cannot turn her away without injuring her and injuring us."

Inuyasha remained sitting as the demon slayer turned on Kikyo. "How can you say she's endangered us? We've all been in trouble at one time or another and it's usually Kagome that saves us! She's saved _you_ on a few occasions that I can remember!"

"You're not sending Kagome away!" cried Shippo.

The other miko stared back at the trio, expressionless and undisturbed. "I simply suggested it because it seems as if Kagome tires of this life. Unlike us, she has another choice. One that she can take now that I am here to take her place."

Kagome looked at the hanyou, sitting with his head bent down. "Inuyasha?"

"Kikyo can cover for you while you're gone, Kagome."

She took a step back, her chest feeling the pain of his punch. "You want me to leave?" she asked.

His eyes were still upon the ground, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "You'll be safe there. You can have a normal life again."

"Why are you doing this to us?" Sango pled to Kikyo. "Why are you even _here_?"

Kikyo slowly blinked. "I am here to help in the final battle against Naraku. Inuyasha came to me for that purpose. He said that it had been too long, that things were progressing too slowly." She looked at them as expressions of shock and anger flitted across their faces. "He asked for my help and I gave it freely. Naraku must be stopped soon and my presence will greatly improve your chances."

Kagome's legs felt weak but she didn't even have the energy to sit. "You told her that I was useless, didn't you?" she asked. "You hoped that she would replace me, that I would just go running home to be 'normal' again."

Golden eyes suddenly met hers. "No… I…" He looked away again. "We have to get this done, Kagome."

"Of course. How selfish of me. I hadn't even realized that I was hindering your progress." Kagome reached for her yellow backpack blindly and hefted it up upon her shoulders. "I think I will go home after all."

"No, Kagome! Please don't!" Shippo leapt into her arms and cried, dampening her shirt immediately with large tears.

Any words of comfort died in her throat. She could only pry him off and hand him to Sango, who was shedding a few tears of her own. Looking up at the stars, she found her direction and began to walk. Miroku immediately blocked her path. "Leaving will only let her win," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"It's not about winning, Miroku."

"Then what is it about?" he asked.

She smiled, leaned forward and hugged him tightly. "Keep everyone together," she whispered. "It's the only way to keep them safe, you see?"

He nodded as she pulled away. Without turning to look again at the others, she set off into the forest, with only the stars and a crescent moon leading her down her path. Behind her, she could hear Shippo's sobbing.

The forest soon closed behind her, leaving no trace of the campsite. She finally turned her head, but only the tall towers of trees stood in the moonlight. Her feet crunched on the fallen leaves beneath her feet as she resumed her walk. She was fortunate, she knew, that they had not been very far from the well, and that they had camped in a familiar clearing. Otherwise, she would be hopelessly lost among the quiet trees.

There was a whine and Kagome looked up to see a soul stealer floating leisurely above her head. "Go away," she said. "I know the path. I'm really going home."

The soul stealer remained. "What?" she asked. "Are you waiting for me to get killed by some forest animal, so that you can take the rest of my soul? You already have most of it." She continued on her walk and it followed. She strangely pleased with its company, although she didn't say another word to it.

It took more than four hours to navigate the forest's nighttime landscape, although her path was fairly clear. She didn't feel her exhaustion until she broke free from the tree line and emerged into the clearing with the Bone-Eater's Well. She looked up at the soul stealer to see that it was already turning back. "Goodbye then," she muttered, shaking her head clear of the fogginess of sleep. It must be nearly two in the morning, she realized.

She sat down on the side of the well, letting her bag fall to the grass beside her. It was no longer heavy with books thankfully, although her shoulders still ached. A chilled breeze swept through the clearing and she rubbed her palms on her jeans. She was glad that she didn't still wear her school uniform. Sometimes she wondered how she had survived her school years in the Feudal Era without getting frostbite.

The chill in the air suddenly turned to pure ice. Shivering, she stood up and looked around the clearing. There was a youkai here, watching her, she realized. Bending down, she got a grip on her bag, preparing to jump into the well on a moment's notice. "Inuyasha?" she called, already knowing it wasn't him.

"I should kill you for such an insult."

Her breath began to shake as she turned around. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she murmured, bowing deeply to the taiyoukai on the other side of the well. He was clothed in his customary white and red, with one sleeve hanging empty at his side. None of his usual companions were with him and she realized that he held Tokijin in his right hand, unsheathed and swirling with its dark intentions.

"I'm surprised to see you here," she continued, when he didn't say anything. It was the truth – the gang hadn't seen a whisper of the taiyoukai in over a year. "May I do something for you?"

"As if I would ever the assistance of a human," he said, the sneer in his voice palpable.

Kagome bowed again. "Of course, how ridiculous of me." She dared to look at his face, pale with its aristocratic nose and cheekbones, except for the bright marks upon his forehead and cheeks. She realized in a flash of panic that his eyes held an anger that was normally reserved for Inuyasha or Naraku. Then it was gone. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked.

His amber gaze swept her body. "Do you want me to?"

"No, but, forgive me, we haven't seen you in ages. Are you after the Tetsusaiga again?"

He looked away for a moment. "What use is a sword that I cannot wield?" he asked. As she continued to peer at him, he sighed inwardly. "No, this Sesshoumaru has no interest in the Fang any longer."

"Then why are you here?" she asked, her voice quiet. "What do you want with me?"

Sesshoumaru sniffed. "When have I ever shown any interest in you, human?"

"Never," admitted Kagome softly.

"Then why should I begin such a unworthy pursuit now?"

The miko frowned. "Alright, I get it. I'm no use to anyone. How am I supposed to know that? I mean, for all I know, you could have come here planning to kidnap me or kill me in order to get to Inuyasha. Not that that would _work_ by the way, but since when have you needed a good reason to kill people? The fact is we haven't seen you in a _year_, so I'm very sorry I'm not up to date on your present quest for power." She took a deep breath and glared at the taiyoukai.

"I should kill you," he repeated, lifting the tip of Tokijin up. He considered it and then let the blade down, swinging loosely from his fingertips. "But I will not. Tonight, no harm will come to you from me, human."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not?"

"Because you want to die and I do not satisfy the wishes of lower beings," he replied, sheathing the sword and turning away.

"I don't want to die!" she called. He continued to walk away. "Hey! Just because I don't have a life worth living doesn't mean I want to die!" She turned white as she spoke.

Her words made him pause and he looked at her over his shoulder. "This Sesshoumaru cares nothing for your problems." He continued to walk away.

"Right, of course" she said. She laughed a little, a sad and hollow sound that even made Sesshoumaru almost flinch. "What about Inuyasha's problems? Do you care about them? Do you care that Kikyo is going to drag him into hell before he has a chance to really live?"

He stopped again and turned around fully. "Then my brother is a fool."

"No kidding," she bit out. "But that doesn't change the fact that that's what will happen. She'll kill him, just because she died a bitter death."

"Much like you will if you continue shouting," he said, his youkai senses picking up on the demons attracted by the young girl's noise.

Kagome sighed, immediately recognizing the genuine warning in his voice. "Why are you being nice to me? Well, not _nice_, but why are you listening?" She looked at him. "Why are you here?" she asked again.

Sesshoumaru just looked at her.

"Fine. I guess you don't have to explain yourself." She sighed again. "I'm going home. I may not be back. I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

He continued to stand there.

She scoffed. Now he gives the silent treatment, she mused. He was practically chatty just a minute ago. "I've had enough silence, thank you. Kikyo has filled me up with silence." Kagome leaned against the wall of the well. "I hope that Inuyasha doesn't get taken to hell. Will you care if he does?

"No, of course you wouldn't," she continued after a moment. "I would. It's not fair that she's still here, when she should be dead. Of course, it's not fair that I'm here when I shouldn't be either. I suppose I'm sort of a hypocrite."

She looked down into the well, but she couldn't see the bottom. "It's funny. When you said that you would kill me, I wasn't scared. Well, I was scared of _death_ but not of you." Her head jerked up as his lip lifted in a soft growl. "I'm not saying you're not intimidating, Sesshoumaru. Kami knows that _that growl_ is intimidating enough for most humans to wet themselves.

"But have you ever known something, without knowing why you know it?" She looked at him again as the snarl died. "Maybe you have, maybe you haven't. But I knew that you are not the one that will kill me. I may die by a sword, but it won't be yours. What's even funnier? I kind of hope I'm wrong. I don't think I'd mind dying because of you."

Kagome smiled at him and bowed for the third time. "Thank you for listening to me, Sesshoumaru-sama. I'm not making a lot of sense, I know. Let's just say I've had a strange and disturbing night." She sat on the lip of the well and swung her legs over. "I know you don't do humans favors, but do you mind if I ask you for one anyway?"

The taiyoukai's eyebrow lifted.

"If I don't come back, or maybe even if I do, will you look in on Inuyasha every once in awhile? They might need your help against Naraku, at the very least." Her smile faded. "Thank you."

She slid into the dark shadow of the well and Sesshoumaru watched as it spewed forth a cloud of blue light. Delicately sniffing the air, he could tell that the girl was no longer there. There wasn't even a corpse lying at the bottom.

"Interesting," he murmured, before walking away.

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Shippo took aim and fired.

"Hey!" Inuyasha's hand went to his chest, where the slimy residue of Kaede's soup was seeping through his haori. "You little brat!" He started to stand, but Kikyo pull gently on his sleeve.

Sango turned to the little fox. "Shippo, it is not appropriate to fling soup at Inuyasha." She sent a swift glare towards the hanyou, who in turn glared at the fox kit. "It's wasteful of food. Next time, finish your meal and then throw the empty bowl at him."

"Wait a minute!" The dog demon stared at the normally proper demon slayer. "Don't tell him to throw things at me!"

"Why not?" asked the taijiya as she turned back to her food.

"Yeah. You deserve it," said Shippo, turning tail and going to sit between Sango and Miroku.

Inuyasha rubbed at the stain with his sleeve, smearing it. "Hey, it's not _my_ fault she hasn't come back. It's only been a day anyway. She'll calm down."

Miroku set aside his empty bowl and exchanged a look with Sango. "Actually, we have spoken about this. Sango and I believe that Kagome may not return." His brow furrowed despite itself. "And I believe it is very much your fault, Inuyasha."

"How do you figure that?" growled the hanyou.

The monk leaned back against the wall of the hut and closed his eyes. Even then, he could see Inuyasha sitting beside Kikyo, closer than he really thought was appropriate. "For two reasons," he said, when he felt that the hanyou had stewed in impatience long enough. "First, you replaced her and you basically told her so. Second, unlike every other time you have fought, you have not gone to fetch her from her time. She must feel very abandoned, wouldn't you think, dearest Sango?" His eyes opened and immediately fixed upon his intended.

The taijiya nodded. "I don't remember the last time you've left her there for so long."

Inuyasha scoffed and looked at his other companion for support, but she had none to give. "She'll come back on her own."

"Are you sure of that?" asked Miroku, yawning. He had stayed up late the previous night, worrying about Kagome's safe return to her own time. He had seen the soul stealer slink off to follow her. That only had aggravated his fears for the girl. In the morning, Sango and Shippo had had dark rings around their eyes as well.

The hanyou shrugged. "She always does."

"And maybe that's the problem," murmured Sango. Her eyes strayed to the door and she stood up. "I think I'll go help Kaede."

"Why? What's she doing?" asked Inuyasha.

The demon slayer shrugged and went to the doorway, lifting the mat out of the way. "I don't know. Coming, Shippo?"

"Sure." The sullen fox trooped over to her feet, where he waited to be scooped up into her arms. Arms that comforted, but not the way that Kagome's did. He rested in his "aunt's" hold and peered over her shoulder as they left, leaving two pinpricks of emerald to watch the others.

The uncomfortable and familiar silence settled over them. Miroku shifted in his place, his eyes going to the doorway every other moment. "Kaede has been doing a lot of work today," he said. Anything to stave off the quiet. He should have followed the other two, he realized belatedly. Now it would just look like he was running away. On the other hand, he was reluctant to leave the hanyou and miko alone together. Bad omens swirled around their heads.

"My sister does not enjoy my presence," said Kikyo, her voice flat.

"Well, are you really her sister?" he asked. He hadn't intended it to sound so biting, but he could not conjure up any guilt over it.

"My memories tell me that I am," said the miko. "And memories is all I have left of my form when I was alive."

Miroku looked over to her, but only for a moment. It was autumn and even glancing at the undead priestess chilled his heart more than was necessary. He wondered idly if she would burn in the summer, and fill his lungs with fire. He supposed that she would. To give comfort to them would be contrary to her very being. "You have part of that soul that Kikyo had."

She raised a delicate eyebrow – the first sign of emotion in over a week. "The soul that is not mine either, just as Kaede is not my sister?"

The monk's head turned away, rolling on the boards behind him. He stared at the spot Sango had occupied, trying to draw from the warmth she left. The smell of that stuff she put in her hair – the liquid stuff Kagome had given to her as a New Year's present - lingered in the air. "Whatever you possess, I'm sure you think it's yours. Does anything else matter?" he muttered. He closed his eyes and tried to relax his muscles. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

Inuyasha scoffed lightly. "Whatever. She'll come back," he said, his lip curling up into a smirk. But Kikyo watched as it faded and the hanyou stared into the fire without blinking.

Soon, Sango and Shippo returned, their eyes drooping from staying up too late. Kaede barely turned to look at the group assembled in her common room before heading into the tiny bedroom that held only a bedroll and a few pots of herbs and beads. They dropped off to sleep, one by one, until only she and Inuyasha were awake. He finally moved, taking a stick and poking the dying embers of the fire. They crackled weakly and he gave up, sliding backwards until he found a comfortable place.

Kikyo stood up. "I'll be back," she whispered. She didn't wait for an answer, and as she slid out of the hut, she wondered why she bothered to reassure him. A remnant of the time that their lives twined together, she was sure. Now, they were burnt and brittle and they could not touch each other without disintegrating. A long time ago, she would have mourned this state of their relationship, but Kikyo didn't have time to mourn any longer. Her heart was incomplete after all. Maybe sympathy and love had been the parts that had been lost. Maybe that was why the others wouldn't look at her, not that she cared.

She made her way through the fields slowly, the soul stealers joining her when she was too far from the village to be seen. They dropped souls into her, the lights of other lives. Another thing that she would not mourn.

There it was. Right on the crest of the hill. Kagome had reluctantly explained what the well did the third night after she had joined the group. Kikyo had asked for the full story, surprising everyone with her curiosity, and Kagome had complied. The priestess suspected that the girl had never told a lie in her life.

She ran her hands over the wood, her fingers finding the weaknesses and rot that even a magical time portal had, apparently. She could smash it, she thought. Then Kagome would never be able to return. But she hadn't brought any weapons, and although her clay body resisted a lot, it did not have enough strength to tear it apart with her hands.

This was the monk's fault, she mused. He shouldn't have brought it up. Because the truth was that whatever she possessed _was_ hers. But she didn't possess Inuyasha yet. She almost had him, but Kagome prevented total control. And as long as he had a hope of her return, he would never be entirely hers.

She needed Inuyasha. She needed Inuyasha in order to possess what she truly wanted – revenge.

Her hands rested upon the wood again. She could feel its magic only with her touch. It was ancient and worn, too old to even determine where it had come from. Not that it mattered. Ancient magic still had its weaknesses. It would still fall to her.

Kikyo closed her eyes, envisioning the power of the well and the tunnel it made through time. It glowed, swirling with iridescent pink and purple in her mind. She pushed through, trying to get to the other side, where Kagome was and where she would stay. The power of the well resisted, pushing her back towards her proper end. It felt sickening, like the pull of your stomach just before becoming physically ill.

The priestess opened her eyes. She was surprised it had resisted and that it had done it so successfully. She turned aside and retched, but her stomach was empty. Her soul stealers wound through the air in agitation, their tiny legs twitching as their mistress steadied herself.

It is stronger magic that I thought, she mused in silence, running her hands over the boards again. It hummed with power, the force that had pushed the undead priestess out. Its exertion had made it temporarily weak. Kikyo hesitated only a moment before trying again, envisioning the cloud of magic that became the tunnel through time.

She didn't try to go to the other end again. She stopped at a point of her own choosing, close to her end of the tunnel. Her consciousness reached out to the walls and grabbed on, pulling them in. It was a fight and even her mind was breathless from the force she had to use, but soon the tunnel became hole and then nothing more than a crack in time. Kikyo pulled back and closed it completely, satisfied that her reincarnation would not be able to break through.

Her eyes fluttered open once again and she looked up to see that dawn was approaching. It had taken longer than she had thought. Her body could barely stand upright without the support of the soul stealers, who now wrapped around her torso like a corset. They tried to lift her away, back to the village, but she stayed them with a single word.

"Kikyo?"

The priestess turned to see Inuyasha walking up the hill, with a frown and Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. "Inuyasha."

"What are you doing up here?" he asked.

She heard the suspicion in his voice, although he probably was not aware of it. "I felt an evil aura moving nearby. I came to see what it was and I was led here." She looked up at the sky. The stars were still out, although fading. "Why have you come? You know I do not sleep. You could not have been worried about me."

His frown deepened. "No," he admitted. "I woke up early so I could go get Kagome. If I don't, the others will just complain. Plus, she still has the shards."

"You think that it was wrong for me to say that we didn't need her," observed Kikyo. "You feel guilty."

Inuyasha looked away as he sheathed his sword. "Keh, I just don't want Shippo throwing food at me all the time."

Kikyo smiled without mirth. "Inuyasha, you have barely changed at all. If you cannot admit the simple truth that you miss my reincarnation, it is no wonder that she will not return to you." She narrowed her eyes, although the smile remained. "Do you think that if you told the truth that she would stay with you forever?"

"What truth?" he asked. "She's got to know that I miss her, unless she's a complete idiot."

The priestess shrugged and the soul stealers released her. She could stand on her own now. "I meant the truth behind that. The fact that you have no desire to join me in hell, no matter what promises you made to me."

"I… I live up to my promises, Kikyo."

"But you do not love me anymore. I have no place in your heart except as a _former_ love." She circled the well, her fingernails scraping across the wood.

Inuyasha fidgeted. "I do love you," he said.

She shook her head. "Your voice has no love in it." Her brown eyes pierced him. "You have kept me company when the others scorned my presence, although I do not care what they feel towards me. You talk to me, although I do not care for conversation. You make sure I am comfortable, although I do not care about my comfort. You do not do anything of these things out of love, Inuyasha. I am not the fool that my reincarnation seems to be. I know that you simply do these things out of guilt."

"I love you," he insisted, stretching out his hands to her.

Kikyo did not move towards him. "You reach for me, but you do not desire to touch me. If you did, you would have done so long ago. You fear for the feelings of my reincarnation."

He frowned, the lines creasing his face more deeply than they did four years before, when Kagome found him pinned to the tree. He was ageless, but every battle and every trial had added its weight to his features. "I _don't_ love her," he said softly. "I never could. Even if I don't love you, Kikyo, it's not fair to her. I'm still held back by what you call guilt."

The priestess's eyes flickered towards the well. Its magic was dying, cut off from the tunnel through time. Soon, even her oblivious hanyou would realize the difference in the air. Kikyo wondered if he spoke the truth. He certainly believed that he was. He believed that he loved neither her nor her reincarnation. It didn't really matter of course. Either way, it would be easier with the well closed off from Kagome's time.

One more test. For the truth.

"Very well," she said. "If it as you say, you should go back for her. For the fox kit and for the monk and the demon slayer. She has survived this long." She tried to look genuine.

Inuyasha nodded, not noticing her strained expression of acceptance. Clay could not smell of deception after all. "Yeah, I'm going to go get her. I'll be right back."

Kikyo nodded, not trusting herself to say anything, lest she give it away. She watched as he jumped over the rim of the well and into the pit, a slight smile upon his face. She listened for the inevitable crash and when it came, she trained her features before looking down after him. "Inuyasha?" she murmured.

"It's not working," he said, getting to his feet and shaking off the dirt. "Ow."

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded and put his hands on the walls around him. "Why isn't it working? Why am I still here?" He looked up at her, his eyes narrowed. A shot of fear and elation went through her all at once. Did he know? "Stand back, I'm going to try this again."

She stepped back as she was told and watched as he leapt out and right back in again. There was a softer fall this time – he was prepared for it. "Damn it!"

"What's supposed to be happening?" she asked, keeping out of sight.

He appeared again, crawling out with a frown upon his dirt-smeared face. "I'm supposed to be there, at Kagome's house." He scowled back at the well.

She knew it was a risk, but if she said nothing, the others would automatically assume her guilt. "Maybe it has something to do with the evil aura I sensed earlier," she said, keeping her eyes lowered.

"Was it Naraku?" His eyes were widening and she could see the desperation.

"I don't know. Is he aware of the well?"

His shoulders fell. "No, I don't think so." He stared at the well, his eyes slowly growing murky with frustration. "I have to tell the others."

Kikyo shook her head, while her soul stealers circled the hanyou. "Don't. They don't need to know yet. It will hurt them and this may be temporary. I'll see what I can do, so that the well works again." She smiled softly and stepped forward, touching the back of his hand with her cold fingers. "Trust me."

Inuyasha looked at the well again and then back to the priestess. "I will."

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A/N: This is more like a prologue than a first chapter, but I hate having prologues because then chapter 2 is actually chapter 1 and so on and so forth. Anyway, glad to have you all reading this new story of mine! It should be interesting.

Please review – I live for reviews!


	2. Erase My Past

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 2: Erase My Past

Sota leaned on his sister's doorframe, watching her pack. He had seen her do it a hundred times – no, more than a hundred – but this time seemed different. Maybe it was the glassy look in her eye, like the tears had run out. He'd seen that too. It was something altogether _strange_ and he wondered if Inuyasha had finally done something very smart or very, very stupid. "Packing already? I thought you were going to stay for a few days."

"No," she said softly. She sighed, stood straight and leaned back, cracking her joints. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I'm just getting ready."

"What did you and Inuyasha fight about?" he asked.

She closed her eyes briefly. "Nothing. Just the normal stuff."

"I'm not eleven anymore."

Kagome's eyes snapped open and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Good point. Let's get you some alcohol and hookers. Then you'll be set."

Her brother rolled his eyes and came fully into the room, sitting on the end of her bed. "That was kind of uncalled for. I was just pointing out that I'm not a kid anymore."

She sighed again, leaned over and ruffled his hair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be crass." She smiled as she shoved a thick sweatshirt into the bottom of the bag. "How's school going lately?"

"Fine. You know, you've been different lately, Kagome."

"Okay, so apparently we're talking about me." She tossed in a pair of socks and put her hands on her hips. "What's up, Sota?"

"You're never happy when you come home anymore," he said, brushing his hand through his hair. He was fifteen now, so his hair was greasy, despite the twice-daily showers he took. His skin was flawless though. It defied reason and Kagome was jealous. Her skin had been pretty perfect too, but at least he got to show it off to more than just a half-demon, a pervert, a demon slayer and a fox kit. Her mother had said something about a girlfriend earlier. "You used to like coming back."

She shrugged. "I still do."

"Then why do act like… like _this_?"

Kagome smirked at him. "Are you saying you don't want the alcohol and hookers?"

He sighed, almost to the point of a growl. Kagome's smile vanished. "That's not what I mean. Every time you're home, you don't talk to anyone and look like a ghost. What is Inuyasha doing to you?"

"Nothing," she replied immediately. Meeting her brother's irritated gaze, she softened. "It's really not him, Sota. Not directly. It's just that he asked his old girlfriend to hang out with us. She's been with us for awhile now. I'm still not used to it. You can imagine the fun times we're all having."

"I didn't think you loved him anymore," he said quietly.

She gave up packing altogether and sat down on the bed in defeat. "I don't. Not in that way. But just because I don't love him romantically doesn't mean I've stopped loving him altogether." Kagome starting picking at her cuticles. "I think Kikyo still thinks that I love him as more than a friend. Heck, Inuyasha probably thinks it too."

"You've been saying you don't love him anymore for awhile, but maybe you still do," he said, leaning back on his hands. He shrugged when his sister shot him a shocked glare. "It's okay if you do. I don't blame you. But you don't have to lie about it, because I'd understand."

"After years of waiting around for him, my heart just gave up, Sota. I don't think it's possible for me to love him anymore. I gave all that I could give." She smiled softly and stood up to resume her packing. "It's just Kikyo. She just bothers me. Inuyasha is still my friend. She doesn't deserve him after all she's done. And he doesn't deserve the pain of her being with us."

He nodded. "Do you need her though? To get all the shards back?"

"She helps," Kagome admitted grudgingly. "But even Myoga would help if he stuck around for more than two seconds during a battle."

"Just ignore her then, until you're done and she leaves." Sota frowned. "She will leave when it's over, right?"

"I don't know. Inuyasha has to make his own choices about that." She stuffed a few shirts into the backpack with more force than necessary. "And you _can't_ ignore her. It's impossible. Sometimes, you just get this creeping feeling down your spine around her, and you think, could she be after me?"

He laughed. It was a strange sound in her room. "I think you're a bit paranoid."

"Yeah, probably," she replied, thinking of all the times that she had saved Kikyo's life. How could her previous incarnation do anything to her after that? She shouldered the bag. "I'm going to grab some ramen and go, I think."

Sota nodded and stood up, following her out. This was familiar, this uncertainty of whether to return to Inuyasha's time – it meant they had had a fight. Back in comfortable territory. "Listen, Sis, are you ever gonna finish those university applications?"

Kagome laughed, hollow and derisive. "They've been sitting on my desk for over a year. I don't think I am. Why? You want them? I've filled a lot of them out."

"Yeah, but I just wanted to look at them. Be uh, you know, prepared." His voice softened.

His sister smiled and ruffled his hair again. "It's fine, Sota. I'm okay with the whole no university thing." There was no light in her eyes. "Go ahead and get them. I haven't even looked at them in ages."

He flashed her a bright smile and went back to her room. Kagome continued on to the kitchen and found a large pile of ramen waiting on the counter. "Great. Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, dear," replied her mother, standing over the sink and scrubbing a pot. "Did you need anything else?"

"Nah, I got the first aid stuff earlier and now I have fresh clothes, so I think I'm good."

"How long do you think you'll be gone this time?" her mother asked. Her voice always sounded tired when she asked that question. It had been worn out long ago.

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know." It was an answer that was equally worn.

Her mother bounced back to her usual cheer immediately. "Well, if you can, try to return for the winter carnival. Your old schoolmates have been calling for a few weeks now about it. They want to see you there."

"Alright. I'll try."

Sota came into the kitchen with a short stack of papers. "There are quite a few applications here. Did you finish all of these, Sis?" he asked, setting the papers down at the table and taking his seat.

She shrugged. "No, not quite. I kind of lost track."

"You _should_. You should apply," said their mother, nodding at her eldest.

Kagome smiled sadly and sat down beside her brother. "I'm not even near prepared for the entrance exams, Mom. I don't know if I ever _will_ be. Every day it's like more knowledge is just leaking out of my brain." She laughed softly, her hands twining together. "Looks like Sota will be the college kid of this family. One kid in university is enough."

Mrs. Higurashi turned around, her soapy hands dripping onto the floor. "Don't you dare sell yourself short, Kagome. I know you could do it if you wanted to." She nodded at her own words. "It's different if you don't want to do it. But I will not hear excuses about fading intelligence or costs because you're very smart and we would manage just fine. So stop that."

"Yes, Mama." A short silence fell as her mother returned to her scrubbing.

Sota frowned as he turned over the papers. "How far did you get on these, Kagome?"

"I told you. I didn't finish. I think I had just the personal statement to write for each." She shrugged and leaned over his shoulder. "Yeah, see? I even signed it to verify that it's all correct and true."

"But there's practically nothing here," he murmured, unfolding the application. It was covered in blank lines. No leadership positions, no volunteering, no work experience and no extra-curricular activities. Even the test score lines were blank.

Kagome sighed. "Well, what did you expect? I didn't do anything in high school except spend half of my life in the Sengoku Jidai. Should I put 'purifying demons with my priestess powers' under volunteering or work experience? I mean, I only get paid in shards after all. Or what about 'defeating the most evil hanyou to ever walk the earth'? I think that definitely counts as an extra-curricular activity." She smiled softly at her brother. "The competition is outrageous, Sota. You don't get in without explaining what you do with all your free time. Unfortunately, I have nothing that I can explain and still be seen as sane. And then there's my absences from school."

"You could write an addendum. Explain your absences. It would explain why you couldn't take up anything extra," Sota said.

She stood up and went to the refrigerator, pulling out some chocolate bars that had been keeping cool. Shippo would need a lot of consolation after her abrupt exit. "I'm not going to lie. I've accepted my situation, Sota."

"Kagome…"

The girl looked at her mother. "Look, Mama, what am I going to do, even if I did get in by some miracle? I had a hard enough time keeping up with my studies in high school. I barely graduated. I know you say it's not about money, but I'm not going to waste your savings on me. I won't go to class. I won't do well on tests. It'll be a whole new level of failure."

Mrs. Higurashi crossed the room and enveloped her daughter in an embrace. "You've given up so much for this life, Kagome."

"I haven't given up anything I wasn't willing to give up," murmured Kagome. "I'm happy." She could see her brother frowning at them over her mother's shoulder.

"I certainly hope so." Her mother pulled back, her tears running down her smiling face. "It's your destiny. I have accepted that, but sometimes I wonder what the kami are up to."

Kagome nodded, the weight of her mother's hopes settling onto her shoulders. "I do too."

Mrs. Higurashi wiped away her tears with the heel of her hand. "Are you sure you want to go back today?" she asked.

She nodded. "I think that I'm probably overdue back there. Shippo will be missing me."

"Right. You should go back. Inuyasha will wonder where you are." She hugged herself, not minding the soap on her hands. "I'm surprised he hasn't come back for you yet."

Kagome shrugged. "He's just stubborn," she muttered, gathering her things.

"He cares about you," said her mother, with an indulgent smile.

The girl smiled back, but her heart was squeezing inside her chest. She hated keeping her family in the dark. She was sure that they spoke about her all the time when she was gone. Did Kagome still have a crush on Inuyasha? Would he ever wake up and realize what a great girl their daughter or sister or granddaughter was? Exactly what kind of danger was she in? Would Inuyasha always save her?

Sometimes Kagome wondered when he had ever saved her.

"Okay. Love you guys. Tell Grandpa good-bye for me too." She hefted her backpack up and kissed her mother and gave a one-arm hug to her brother.

"Goodbye, Kagome. Be careful."

"No problem, Mama. Bye." She flashed a bright smile as she walked out of the room, which only her mother returned.

As soon as Kagome stepped outside, the breeze swirled around her, chilling her and her counterfeit mood. She thought of her warm bed, with the down comforter on top. On the other side of the well, Inuyasha would be waiting in his perpetually arrogant and impatient mood. She wondered if he would even let her stay, or march her straight back to the well. She wondered if he had smashed it to pieces in her absence. The chill got worse.

Kagome sighed and went to the well house, stepping though the blanket of leaves left on the ground. It was Sota's chore to do the raking, but their mother had relented in consideration of his extra classes. Not many people came to the shrine in autumn anyway.

The well house was damp from the rainfall they had gotten off and on over the past couple days. It dripped into her hair and on her clothes, and she pulled her jacket tightly around her waist. The damp weighed on her shoulders, its sadness clinging to her. She tried to think fondly on the cleanliness of the Sengoku period's air, without the Tokyo's pollution or noise, which she could even hear from where she stood in the doorway of the well house. But she couldn't envision it. Her memory was failing her.

"I'm just tired," she said aloud, stepping fully into the well house and closing the door behind her. The gray of the world outside meant that she was enveloped in complete darkness, but Kagome could see the Bone-Eaters' Well without light. She stepped towards it and put her hands on the edge. Despite the damp of the well house, the wood of the time portal was dry, and her fingers found several splinters. "Ow," she murmured, pulling back slightly.

The cold and damp weather was seeping into her heart. "Ow," she said again, louder. She held her hands to her chest. She realized that she was sweating. She felt feverish.

For a moment, she turned back. Kagome stopped with her hand on the door again, remembering the chocolates she had packed for Shippo and the ramen Inuyasha would soon coming looking for. She just needed a big bowl of Kaede's soup, she decided, stepping back towards the well. Then she would feel better. Shifting her bag a bit, she put her foot on the edge, careful to not touch the wood with her bare skin. She balanced there for a moment and then stepped into nothing.

Nothing.

She panicked.

Darkness.

Cold.

Kagome reached out for the walls of the well, praying that she could catch herself in time. But there was nothing to grab onto.

She shivered as she moved through blackness. The thought of breaking both of her legs subsided. She would have hit the bottom by now. Raw, amorphous fear remained.

Of course, she could be dead. Broken neck. Smashed brain.

A flash of light. So bright that Kagome held up her hands. It sped towards her, spiraling around her. Bright, pink light. She sighed and let herself fall. The silence of the spiraling lights unnerved her though. They seemed to be struggling for life.

She reached out again and touched the light. It shuddered and the light intensified.

She relaxed now. The trip was longer than usual, but she had recognized that it wasn't a normal trip through time already. She _should_ relax now. Something was wrong on the other side. Now would be the only time to relax.

Her feet touched down before she realized she had come to the end of the ride. The familiar walls of the well surrounded her again, and when she looked up she saw a crisp blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen.

She hoped.

Kagome's lungs strained and she realized she had been holding her breath. She put her hands on the wood and pulled herself up and out of the well, tossing her bag out first. She toppled out and stood up, scanning the area with sharp eyes. "Inuyasha?" she called softly. "Come on, I have enough ramen to feed an army. Where are you?"

She picked up her yellow pack and away from the well. She stopped again almost immediately. Something was wrong, definitely. Never mind that Inuyasha hadn't been there for her return, it was something deeper than that. Deeper, but staring her right in the face.

Her eyes moved around again, checking for all signs that pointed to 'normal.' Normal forest sounds? Birds, breeze, bugs. Check. Normal scents? Well, she didn't have the nose of a dog demon, but it seemed fine. Did everything look the same?

She paused, her breath catching in her throat. Where was the Goshinboku?

Panic spread again, piercing her heart. How could it be gone? The God Tree was ancient and revered. It had been _fine_ in her time. She had walked past it on her way to the well just a few minutes before. What had happened?

No, she reasoned, trying to calm the heart that had taken such a beating that day. It had to be here. How could she miss it?

She went back to the well and stood with it at her back and with her eyes closed. She imagined that she was back in her time, with the well house enclosing her. She took five steps forward, miming the action of going up the small set of steps. "Here's the door," she murmured aloud, feeling the imaginary door with her fingertips. She pushed it open and stepped out. She could see the shrine in her mind's eye and she kept walking forward. Her house was that way, she thought. The God Tree would be on her left. When she was sure that she was in the right place, she turned and opened her eyes.

It was young, half the height it was in her time. It was still bigger than many of the surrounding trees, but definitely not the bastion of strength she wanted to see. Its leaves were turning red and brown, making it look more insignificant than it actually was. She went forward and ran her fingers over the trunk. It was whole, completely devoid of the marks that Inuyasha had left upon it. It was definitely the God Tree, although she felt none of its sacred power now.

Kagome turned towards the village, determined to find someone that could explain this. How could a great God Tree shrink to something barely more than a sapling?

She didn't want to think about it, she decided. But her feet started to run and soon she was sprinting down the hill, her eyes watering in the wind.

At the bottom of the hill, she stopped. In the village that did not look like her village at all, a regiment of soldiers marched through the streets. The villagers who were not her villagers ran into their homes. The soldiers chase after the women, scaring them into fits of screaming. Any man that protested was physically threatened or struck down. Children were kicked out the way. The soldiers looked as if they were having a great amount of fun. But they moved through the village swiftly, their entertainment not detracting from the obvious urgency they possessed. The leaders called to them, swinging their arms to get all of the soldiers to follow them out of the village. They were coming her way. She had the distinct impression that she would not want to meet these men.

"This not my day," she grumbled as she jumped into the bushes, put her stomach to the ground and laid flat. She forced her labored breathing to slow down, to quiet. She could hear the sounds of the soldiers' weapons moving against their armor.

Kagome scooted back into the thick of the trees.

"So then I told her, 'Sweetheart, you wouldn't deny an old soldier off to fight those Mongols, would you?'"

The soldiers joined in some raucous laughter. "Aw, captain, come on. You telling me that a girl actually bought that old bit?"

"Damn straight she did. Hey, it's the truth, ain't it? She _was_ sweet too." More laughter.

"You think we're actually going to meet some of those bastards?"

"I hope so," said another voice. "Get some action."

"The only action I want is with a woman and some sake."

Kagome curled tightly against the ground, now certain that she did not want to meet with these men. They marched past tirelessly. She could see their boots beneath the bushes that hid her from view. There was at least a hundred of them, maybe more.

Most of them had passed by. Snippets of crude conversation floated over her head. Women, geisha, prostitutes, alcohol. A few mentioned fighting on the coast. Kagome only relaxed when the ranks began to thin out.

Suddenly, her shoulder blades tucked into her back and she shuddered. The ground was cool but her heart began to beat fast, warming her cheeks. She turned slightly to see a soldier standing nearby, with a menacing smile and her yellow bag in his hand. His dark armor was marked with the imperial seal. He was a samurai. "Hello, lovely," he purred. "Miss this?" He held the bag aloft. "Knew the owner would be nearby. It smelled like woman."

She began to stand up, but he pointed his pike towards her. Its blade was rusted but sharp. "No, no. I'll tell you when to stand. Maybe I'd like you lying down first, hmm?"

"I'll scream," she whispered.

"Why?" he said, still smiling. "You want to share? Except the captain, we haven't had a break in weeks."

Kagome suddenly got the image of dozens of soldiers surrounding her with that lusty and maniacal look. Her body tensed.

"Oy! Oshiro-san! Where did you go, you bastard?"

The samurai turned his head to the voice and Kagome took off. "Hey!" he barked after her.

Kagome ignored him, running into the forest as fast as she could. Years in the Sengoku Jidai had conditioned her well. She heard shouting behind her and the sounds of metal scraping against metal. She hoped that none of them were archers, but she couldn't dare to turn around. Samurai armor was light and if they wanted her, they would get her.

The forest scratched and bit at her with its branches and thorns. She tore through a spider web, spitting and rubbing at the silk crisscrossing over her face. She stumbled and cut her hands when she tried to break her fall. But still, the sounds of the samurai followed. Kagome got up and ran again, her heart and lungs warning her that they couldn't take the flow of adrenaline coursing through her body for much longer.

The trees opened up and she ran through a stream, drenching her legs in the cold water. It seared against her hot skin. As she closed her eyes in agony, she collided with something warm and solid. She shrieked as she fell backwards, back towards the stream, but a pair of hands caught her and brought her back to her feet.

The miko's labored breathing did not subside, but she couldn't run any longer. Her savior or assailant still had a firm grip on her. Her vision swam as the shouts of the samurai came closer. She could hear their footsteps.

The person she had run into still did not let go, but stepped in front of her. Kagome stood on watery legs as the sounds of the soldiers came on top of them. She knew that they were on the other side of the stream now.

"Hand over the girl," demanded one of them.

"Why?"

Kagome took a few steadying breaths, but her vision was still swimming, only showing her blotches of green, blue and white. She would have collapsed without her support.

"The bitch stole something from me!" It was the voice of her attacker, Oshiro.

"And what did she steal?" Her protector's grip slackened a little. Kagome tried to hold on.

"Money."

"And so in retaliation, you stole her belongings and ran after her with twenty other men and weapons?"

Oshiro snorted. "Bitch should get what she deserves. We're on a mission from the Emperor. Anyone who interferes will be dealt with immediately. That includes you."

Kagome's protector let go of her arm completely, but did not bring her out again. The miko shut her eyes at the sound of a sword being drawn. "Not one of your men will survive to cross the stream. If you were at all intelligent, you would leave the girl's bag and go back to your regiment. Your intentions towards her disgust me. I am sure the captain would not be pleased if he heard that one of his men was trying to rape a young girl when he should be concentrating on his mission _from the Emperor_."

"You said she was a pickpocket, Oshiro." The soldiers murmured among themselves.

"Shut up. She disrespected me. She deserves this."

"Leave the bag and go back, or I will kill you all."

One of them scoffed. "What do you think you're doing, demon? Trying to win some honor?"

"I have more honor than men who prey upon scared girls," replied Kagome's shield. "Demon is a relative term."

"You bastard!" snapped Oshiro.

There was a splash of water. Kagome could see a flash of light even through her closed eyes and nothing could block out the scream of agony. "Now that this one has paid for irritating me, I would suggest that you all leave."

The words barely fell from his mouth before the samurai ran. The sound of their retreat made Kagome sigh. She felt her protector turn to look at her. "Thank you," she murmured.

His hands steered her towards a rock, where she was forced to take a seat. "Do not open your eyes."

"I've seen dead men before. And he is dead, isn't he?"

"Yes." There was another splash and, a few seconds later, the thud of her bag falling beside her feet.

Kagome opened her eyes, blinking in the bright light. A water pouch was brought to her lips before her sight could adjust. "Drink. You are dehydrated. Hungry as well, I would imagine." He sighed. "You should not have opened your eyes. You will be frightened."

She finished taking a deep drink, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Finally, she looked up at her protector. Clothed in white, with a green sash around his waist and his fur wrapped around his shoulder, was Sesshoumaru. Oddly, his hair was tied back, into a long thick braid that fell to his waist. Kagome smiled softly, more from delirium than the sight of the taiyoukai. She had expected this from the moment he had spoken in her defense, although it did not make any sense to her. "Lord Sesshoumaru," she said, bowing in her seated position. She was a little frightened, to tell the truth, but she doubted that he had saved her life only to kill her in the middle of the forest. It was the only thought that kept her from fainting dead away. And after lust-ridden samurai, Sesshoumaru was almost a welcome sight.

He blinked at her. "Do you know me?"

Kagome frowned, her mouth open a little. "Of course. I travel with Inuyasha. Don't you remember? I saw you only a short time ago."

Sesshoumaru sat down beside her. "I have never seen you. And I do not know an Inuyasha."

"He's your…" She trailed off and looked at Oshiro's corpse in the water. There was no blood, only death. She bit her lip, remembering the strange day that had brought her to this point. It would be best not to irritate the cold-hearted killer, she decided. "Never mind. I suppose I was mistaken. I thought you knew my friend."

"Where is this friend of yours?" he asked. "He must be looking for you."

Kagome shook her head. "No, I don't think so." She looked at him sharply, realizing what he had asked. He really had forgotten his own brother if he thought that Inuyasha was looking for her. Her head was starting to hurt terribly. "Where is Rin?"

His forehead crinkled a bit. "Rin? Is that another friend of yours?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. I thought you might have seen her. Younger than me? Black hair and a orange checkered kimono?"

He shook his head. "No. No one like that has crossed my path." He looked at her, his eyes sweeping across her form for the first time. "A human girl should not be wandering these lands alone."

Kagome gave him a weak smile. Her heart was beating rapidly and her mind was whirling with confusion, but she felt that explaining herself would be met with serious suspicion. "Well, obviously, I'm quite accustomed to being around demons," she said. She didn't get a smile in return and she sobered. "I can take care of myself."

"Clearly," he said.

She pointed towards Oshiro. "I just wasn't expecting _that_."

"The wars have forced the human emperor to call on all available samurai, even those that have no honor. You should not have left these friends of yours."

Does he have amnesia or am I going crazy, she asked herself. "It seems like I ran into all the dishonorable ones at once," she murmured, looking at the corpse. "May I have a few moments to think?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and stood up. "It is getting late in the day. Before I encountered you, I had been planning to hunt something down and have dinner soon. I should do that now."

Something in his tone made her look up. "Are you offering to let me stay with you?"

He raised an eyebrow and Kagome realized that this was _definitely_ the same Sesshoumaru that she knew. If his loss of memory meant that she wouldn't die by his hand, she was really okay with that for the moment. "For dinner, yes. You cannot find your friends and you have no weapons." He frowned slightly. "And your manner of dress is strange to say the least. If you wish, I will get you some dinner and not allow anyone to harm you as you sleep. Tomorrow, I will take you to the village so that you may find your friends."

She sighed. "That would be… a lot of help actually. Thank you. Again." She looked at him and tried to smile.

The dog demon nodded once and turned away, pushing aside a few branches with his forearm.

"Hey!" Kagome leapt to her feet and he froze, his head turning to look at her. "You have both arms!" She stared at the pair of white, striped arms that filled his sleeves.

"Most creatures do," he replied slowly, arching a brow again.

She shook her head, trying to improvise. "Well, I mean… I heard that you only had one. That you'd lost one in a battle or, or something."

He turned away again. "You should not believe all the rumors you hear about this Sesshoumaru," he said, before disappearing into the trees.

Kagome sat back down on the stone, her chin in her hands. "Nice try on being seen as _sane_, Kagome. What's going on here?" she muttered. She had been confused enough when Sesshoumaru had helped her run off those samurai, but to actually offer to let her eat with him? Sleep nearby, under his protection? Not to mention his strange forgetfulness about Rin, Inuyasha, and herself.

She looked at the samurai in the water again. Sesshoumaru hadn't moved him yet. She wondered if she was expected to move him in his absence. The Sesshoumaru that she knew wouldn't care if he ate dinner in the middle of a fresh battleground. She hoped that this version of the taiyoukai would at least eat dinner away from the body.

Eating dinner with Sesshoumaru. Now there was a thought that she never would have entertained. But it was not a thought to entertain now either. Kagome had to figure out what happened.

"Alright," she muttered. "Let's go through this slowly.

"The God Tree is smaller, but not gone. Sesshoumaru doesn't remember _anything_ and the samurai that wanted to _rape_ me were talking about Mongolians, which is weird because…"

Her eyes widened as she looked up to the sky. "You've got to be kidding me! What did I do to you!" she snapped, jabbing her finger towards the heavens. "You sent me _three hundred years_ farther into the past! What the hell?"

But it all made sense, now that she thought about it. The God Tree should have been a dead giveaway, actually. It hadn't grown _smaller_, it was just _younger_. And Sesshoumaru never had heard of Inuyasha or Kagome or Rin because he hadn't met any of them yet. She wasn't sure when Inuyasha had been born, but she knew he wasn't quite _that_ old. And the Mongolian thing was just the icing on the cake. History had been her best subject in school and she remembered with clarity the two weeks they had spent on the Mongolian invasions of the late thirteenth century. She had written a paper on it, for Kami's sake. If she hadn't been close to a heart attack all day, she was sure that she would have realized it earlier.

Of course, all this left her with one burning question. How was she ever going to get back to Inuyasha? Or better, how would she get back to her time?

"How did this happen?" she muttered, putting her head in her hands. "How could the well just change like that?"

She had to admit she knew practically nothing about the magic of the Bone-Eater's Well, but she had always had the sense that it would be stable and safe, at least until she had completed the jewel again. The sudden change mystified her.

The whole situation was terrifying, much worse than when she had first ended up in the Sengoku Jidai. As disorienting as that had been, this time she had every idea of the danger she was in and none of the help she was accustomed to from her friends. Unless she counted Sesshoumaru as a friend, which was really a disturbing question in and of itself. The fact of the matter was that she had been sent three hundred years farther into the past, without any idea of why. Getting back could be dangerous, if not impossible. Until then, she was alone with armies and demons all across the land, and only a few Shikon fragments to depend upon.

Her eyes fell on her pack and she walked over, pulling open the pocket with trembling hands. The dozen or so shards in her possession twinkled at her, glowing a soft pink. She wondered if youkai in the area would still be drawn to them, even if the Shikon no Tama did not exist in this time. She bet they would.

Kagome sighed as she stared at their paltry collection. Four years and this was all they had to show for it! Naraku had the rest, minus the two in Koga's legs and the one they presumed was still in Kohaku's back. There had been a time, more than three years before, when their gang had only one shard, while Naraku had had almost the complete Jewel. That was an endless tango, until Naraku decided to come after that last shard of Inuyasha's group. Kagome had shattered the Jewel to save them all. Not that the 'saving them all' part had stopped Inuyasha from reading her the riot act for several _days_.

Ever since that second shattering (or "doomsday" as she had come to call it), progress had been infinitely slow. Naraku had disappeared, silently collecting his own shards. Inuyasha and the others had resumed their search in futility. Kagome's power had been stronger than the first time. It had flung the shards farther away than ever. And after a year of battle between their group and Naraku, every demon had decided to get in on the action.

The best part, she thought bitterly, was the moment that she realized that Inuyasha would never love her. And in that same moment, she realized that she no longer loved him. She had told Sota the truth, after all. She had given all that she could give. Inuyasha blamed her for everything and after "doomsday", it had gotten worse. In some ways, Kikyo's arrival had made matters easier. Inuyasha had concentrated on her former incarnation instead of her.

No wonder her life sucked.

The trees rustled and Sesshoumaru emerged from the underbrush with a dead deer over his shoulder. Kagome stared. "Were you planning to invite Oshiro?" she asked, nodding towards the corpse.

Sesshoumaru dropped the full-grown animal at her feet and went over to the dead human, prodding him with his boot-covered foot until the body began to sail down the stream. He turned back and raised an eyebrow. "I eat a lot."

"Clearly."

The dog demon reached into his hakama and pulled out a hunting knife before taking the deer to the stream. "I assume you want it skinned," he said.

"And you don't?" she asked. She held up a hand when he moved to reply. "You know what? I don't want to know that. I'll just start a fire."

"Cooked too?"

"Now that's just gross," she muttered. Kagome looked up at him to see a small smirk on his face. "Wait. You were kidding?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged, dropping any hint of amusement from his expression. "I have been known to make a joke or two."

Kagome's eyes widened. She felt as she had taken a step and found nothing but air. "Right," she muttered, marveling at the strangeness of this older world where Sesshoumaru had a sense of humor. (Not a very _good_ sense of humor, but she decided to be indulgent towards that end. He wasn't letting her starve after all.)

She turned to a dead bush nearby and began to break off branches for kindling. It was growing dark quickly and she had no desire to leave Sesshoumaru's protection, especially with the stench of deer blood wafting through the area. Even she could smell the coppery scent with her human nose.

"I do not know your name."

The miko blinked. "I'm sorry. I'd forgotten. My name is Kagome."

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Kagome. It is a pleasure to meet you."

She stared. He had turned back to his work, his shoulders rigid. He was clearly as uncomfortable with pleasantries as she was. The fact that he tried ranked right up with Inuyasha bending down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage. "Thank you. You too."

The sun was setting fast, and a quiet sort of orange glow was all that was left in the west. Kagome made sure that she could always see the white of Sesshoumaru's clothes as she ventured into the woods, collecting dead wood for the fire. When she was sure he wasn't looking, she struck a match and lit the pile of kindling she had made.

"That was quick work," he said, his eyes darting towards the flames.

Kagome shrugged, hiding the used match in her bag. "No big problem. I've done it a million times." She sat beside him and watched as he skinned the deer with ease. "Are the Mongolians a problem for the youkai too?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No. We do not get involved in human affairs. We do not adhere to any borders of mankind. After several wars started by the humans, I believe they have finally accepted that fact. No sizeable force has been set against my kind for a long time, since I was very young."

"How old are you?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking?"

"Two hundred and thirty-six," he replied without hesitation. "I would be considered about eighteen in human maturation."

Kagome smiled. "You're younger than me. I'm nineteen."

Sesshoumaru sniffed. "Once youkai pass two hundred, their aging slows. It is for no lack of years that I am _younger_ than you. I am considered an adult."

"I was only teasing. I'm sure you're very mature," she said, trying not to be patronizing. From his scowl, she guessed that she wasn't being very successful. It was _surreal_ how expressive and talkative Sesshoumaru was in this time. He was still rather cold, but she felt that had more to do with her being a stranger than anything else. She wondered what had happened in three hundred years to change that.

She pulled up short. What if somehow, his contact with her changed him in the future? She could irreparably change the past and Inuyasha's time, as well as her own. Kagome suddenly realized that she had to be very careful. She would have to watch her words and not have any more ridiculous outbursts, like the one about his arm.

Sesshoumaru finished cleaning the deer and washed his knife off in the stream. His claws gleamed in the fading twilight. Kagome wanted to run her hands over his right arm, convince herself that it was really there. It seemed like the only physical evidence of her strange time trip. To see it there, where an arm should be for anyone else, it was strange on Sesshoumaru. No more strange than the personality shift, she realized.

"I will set it up to cook," said the taiyoukai, standing up with the skinned deer in his hands. The hide was already floating down the stream. Kagome followed, stretching her legs out in front of the fire as he prepared the meat. Her jeans were still drying from her jog through the stream and as the sun was setting behind the horizon, her wet ankles were growing cold.

A few minutes later, the smell of roasting venison filled the air and they sat beside one another, watching their food cook.

"So why are you out in the middle of nowhere?" she asked, unlacing her running shoes so that the heat could surround her foot. "I mean, it was really lucky for me to find you. Or run into you, more like it."

"This is the perimeter of my father's lands. I patrol his borders regularly." His eyes flickered with the fire.

"Your father," murmured Kagome, eliciting a strange look from Sesshoumaru. She blushed. "I've heard a lot about him."

Sesshoumaru's lips turned down slightly. "He is a great dog demon lord. Most have heard of him."

"Do you look like him?" she asked. She had always assumed that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had looked like their father, because they looked so much like each other. But she would not turn down the opportunity to ask questions about a subject Inuyasha so determinedly avoided.

"It is said that I do," replied Sesshoumaru, the frown becoming more prominent.

Kagome realized that somehow she had found a subject that both of the brothers were sensitive about. She had to meet this father of theirs, now that she had the chance, and figure out why he brought out such intense feelings in his sons. "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru. It's not fair that I'm asking you about your family, when I'm already familiar with the basics. You know nothing about me on the other hand," she said, with a placating smile.

He leaned forward and turned the meat. "You may speak of your family if you wish, but I have no great interest in them," he said.

The miko took this non-interest as a great improvement upon his usual threats of murder and dismemberment. She would have to be careful, of course. "Well, I live with my mother, my paternal grandfather and my little brother. We live in a large town far from here called Tokyo."

"You have no father?"

Kagome smirked. She had expected that question. "No. He died when I was young in a… um, an accident. I don't really remember him that well. Sota, my brother, had just been born and I just didn't understand." She remembered the day that the police officer had come to the house, telling her mother that car had struck her husband while he was on a pedestrian crossing, but that was her strongest memory. She barely remembered the dark-haired man that was her father. She remembered giving him sloppy kisses when he went to work and her mother humming while taking care of her little daughter, looking at the clock until the door opened again. That was it. Sometimes, she remembered a day with her father at a fair, so surreal in her memories that she thought it may have been a dream.

She shook herself, realizing that she had lapsed into silence. "Where is your mother?" she asked, forgetting her promise to not pry.

"She left my father long ago," replied Sesshoumaru, his features betraying nothing. "They are no longer mates."

Kagome frowned. "I didn't know that demons had divorce."

"Mating bonds are stronger than human marriages," he replied, "but they can break. My parents were mated because of a political alliance, nothing more. After I became capable of caring for myself, they had no need to remain together."

"They never grew to love each other?"

"No."

Kagome nodded. "Have you seen your mother since then?"

"No." He turned an eye towards her.

She bit her lip, trying not to look away. "So, there nothing you want to ask me? Anything at all about the girl you valiantly saved?" Kagome tried to smile again and found it awkward.

"You dress strangely," he said.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, but decided to take it as a question. "Yeah, I guess I do. New style. Not good?" She watched as Sesshoumaru's eyes swept across her form and returned to her face. He wore an expression of slight distaste. "Guess not. Well, I don't really have anything else to wear at the moment, but I'll be out of your hair tomorrow. So you won't have to put up with it anymore."

He nodded and turned back to the meat, prodding it. Blood dripped out. He sighed slightly and settled back again. His eyes fell on her backpack and he stared for a moment. "I have been wondering one thing. Why does your bag exude such power?"

She eyed him warily. The Sesshoumaru of Inuyasha's time had no interest whatsoever in the Shikon no Tama. He thought it beneath him. This Sesshoumaru might not have such discipline. "It's just part of the burden I have to bear," she replied. He looked at her and she rose her hand. "I'm sorry, I can't say anymore than that. It is of no use to you though." No use to anyone who wants to remain in his right mind, she added silently.

"It will bring danger to us tonight," he observed.

Kagome sighed and nodded. "It doesn't bring danger _every_ night, but yes, it might. I'm sorry about that. And I've left my bow with my friends."

He shrugged. "I will destroy any creature that disturbs my father's land, without help."

"Somehow I knew that would be your answer," she said with a slight smile. "Thank you for protecting me."

"Stop thanking me," he said. "I bound myself to your safety when I killed that human. It would be dishonorable to abandon you now."

He's so cranky about it, thought Kagome with amusement. "Why did you help me?" she asked. "I know dog demon senses pretty well. You knew I was coming towards you long before I appeared. And you knew who was following me."

Sesshoumaru scowled. "I dislike the samurai that march through my father's lands with no respect."

"Do you hate humans?" she asked.

The dog demon looked at her sharply. "If I did hate your kind, why would I share my kill with you?" he returned.

"Because you're honor-bound to protect me?" she suggested.

He scowled. "I do not hate humans, but I have no love for them either." He turned the meat again. "You are all illogical creatures with over-inflated confidence. You live a short life and so you seem to pack as much reckless and irritating behavior into that time as possible. And you talk endlessly."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Was that a pointed comment towards me?"

"You talk a lot."

"We're conversing. That's different."

Sesshoumaru added a few branches to the fire. "I would be content to sit in silence. For humans, that seems to be an impossibility."

Kagome shook her head as she thought of Rin chattering away to the stoic and quiet taiyoukai of the future. "I'm sure that one day, you will have so much silence that you can't stand it. You'll like having humans around. They'll amuse you," she said, voicing her personal opinion on the strange relationship between Sesshoumaru and his ward.

"Perhaps," he said, looking to the fire again. "But I doubt it."

The miko smiled. Being stuck even farther in the past wasn't such a shock with a familiar face around. A strange face to consider 'familiar', but familiar nonetheless. Tomorrow, she would go back to the well, figure out what went wrong and perhaps take a risk. Until then, Sesshoumaru would remain as her guardian. She was oddly comfortable with that.

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A/N: I realized that they were rambling a bit at the end there, so I decided to cut it short. (Well, not short – it's 17 pages!) I made Sesshoumaru 18 years old in "human" years because I didn't want it to be creepy with Kagome being much older. He's only 19 in the anime, you know – I was surprised to find that out myself. (At least, they say he's 19 in 'human appearance' in the character guide and I'm going to take that as 19 on the basis of human maturation.)

Anyway, read and review. They brighten the worst of my days in law school!


	3. The Priestess

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 3: The Priestess

Someone was poking her in the ribs. She groaned and turned over. "Go away, Sota," she muttered, the words slurred beyond human comprehension.

The poking continued and she slapped at it. Whatever it was withdrew.

"Get up, woman!" hissed a voice.

Kagome's eyes opened and the soft sunlight of the early morning greeted her gaze. "Ugh, Sesshoumaru?" she murmured, turning back over. The blanket was twisted around her legs and she yawned. "What's up?" she asked sleepily, kicking off the blankets. She had slept in flannel pajama pants, thank Kami. The cold morning air struck with a vengeance where her shirt had ridden up at her midriff. She tugged it down and gazed at the youkai. He was standing quite close, with his sword drawn and suddenly, Kagome was very much awake.

The miko looked around. The clearing was quiet and no creature stood at the other side of the stream, where Sesshoumaru's gaze was fixed. She knew enough of demon senses though, and she went very still. "What's out there?"

"The danger you spoke of last night," he whispered.

She stood up as slowly and quietly as possible. She couldn't help it if she died in her pajamas, but she would be damned if she died sitting on her rear. Wishing once again for her bow, she brushed her hair back behind her ears and prepared for any assault.

"What is it?"

"A demon I have met before," he replied, a twinge of anger in his voice.

Kagome felt a cold fist around her heart as the aura of powerful demon approached. She drew back slightly, looking at Sesshoumaru. His face was drawn into a deep scowl and his claws tightened around the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, Kagome remembered that this Sesshoumaru had three hundred years' less experience in battle than the Sesshoumaru she knew. She had always viewed him as a ruthless, exacting killer. No one could watch him fight and not appreciate the pure fluidity of Sesshoumaru's attacks. He was effortless. _This_ Sesshoumaru already banished the collected taiyoukai of the future from her mind. His eyes were a little too wide and his breath a little too fast and he looked so young.

He's not much older than Inuyasha, she realized. And no matter how many times he had mocked his little brother's technique in battle, he had to have been at the same level at one point in his own life. Kagome shivered.

A beast appeared at the other side of the stream, not disturbing a leaf. If Kagome had blinked, she would have thought he had teleported to the embankment. It was a massive wolf with matted black fur and blue eyes, such a pale blue that they looked dead. It had intelligence in the dead eyes though. Kagome could see that in the way its gaze flickered over their makeshift camp and landed upon her as she stood beside the yellow bag.

It took a few steps forward with paws the size of dinner plates and raised its head, its glare shifting to the taiyoukai. "Lord Sesshoumaru…" it hissed. Kagome could see that it had just eaten breakfast, because blood dripped from its jaw as it spoke. "What an _honor_ to meet you."

"Imagine the honor you will have dying by my hand," said the taiyoukai, holding up his thin blade. The early morning sun reflected off of the paper-thin edge.

The wolf made a barking noise that Kagome recognized as laughter. "The last time you fought one of my kind, you barely left the field alive."

Kagome's eyes widened, but Sesshoumaru lifted his chin. "I have improved greatly. Test me, if you wish."

"I'm not here for games. I was called here, by the object in that bag," he said, nodding at Kagome's backpack. "How did a pup like you gather such magnificent power? Or perhaps it was you, little human?" He leered at the miko.

"None of your business," spat Kagome.

The wolf chuckled again. "What impudence. I'm surprised Sesshoumaru hasn't killed you himself. Doesn't matter. I'll kill you. You look so much more tender than those tough-skinned humans back in that village. You will make a fine lunch."

Sesshoumaru growled softly and the dead eyes swiveled back. "Sesshoumaru, are you protective of this little human? How like your father you are in that respect. And how disappointing. At least _he_ has some power and prestige to make up for his strange _predilections_." The wolf tossed his head, congratulating himself as Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in rage. "Well, young pup, I suppose I should give you the same consideration I give to my offspring when we spar. Ready? Set?"

"Do not mock me."

"Go."

The demon sprang forward as he said the word, easily jumping across the stream and towards the taiyoukai and miko. Sesshoumaru leapt from his path, blocking Kagome effectively but not hitting his adversary. The wolf landed, spun on his heels and charged again. Sesshoumaru made a graceful arc with his blade, but the wolf had an agility that belied his size and he managed to get out the way in time.

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's hand upon her arm. "Hide yourself."

"I can help."

"Go or get yourself killed," he said, not looking at her. It was unclear whether he meant by his own hand or the wolf's.

She nodded and grabbed her pack, just as the wolf came at them again. She jumped, drawing back quickly until she came to a sturdy tree and throwing herself behind the trunk.

There was a cry and Kagome looked around the tree to see the wolf's ear hanging off by a thread. A dribble of blood slid down Sesshoumaru's blade. Kagome was about to congratulate her protector, when she saw that blood was dripping onto the grass from Sesshoumaru's chest. The wolf tossed his head, making his ear flip around with a sickening slap. "So frail," hissed the creature. "How pathetic that you would be the son of a great demon. Is he very disappointed?" He barked another laugh.

Sesshoumaru took a deep halting breath. "You will not speak of my father, nor of me, with such offensive familiarity," he said, blood oozing out with each word. The red blossomed onto his white clothing.

The wolf charged again, lowering his head and dodging Sesshoumaru's swing neatly. Kagome could hardly believe any creature could move faster than the taiyoukai, but the wolf did so and even had enough momentum to slam into the taiyoukai with enough force to send him flying. The wolf did not even wait to see where Sesshoumaru landed before turning his attention to her.

"Pathetic," he said again. His mouth stretched into a grotesque grin.

She began to back up again. "What do you want?" she asked, although she knew his answer perfectly well.

"I can sense its power," growled the wolf. "Whatever it is, I will have it, girl. It will exalt him to even a higher level of power."

Kagome's skin began to crawl as those dead eyes swept her form. "You can't use it. No one can."

He barked again. "You lie, human. I can smell the deception on you. You are clever, but you have no confidence in yourself. I can sense everything you feel."

The miko frowned, irritated by the invasion into her emotions. She squared her shoulders and glared at the wolf. "I don't think you're getting it. You think that Lord Sesshoumaru is the only one with power here?"

"Weakling. You have no more power than a pup." It turned its head slightly as Sesshoumaru emerged from the brush again. "And he can't even protect one human girl," snarled the wolf, before rushing at Kagome.

Sesshoumaru began to move, the blood still dripping from his wound, but the wolf was much closer. Kagome braced herself and held up her hands.

A flash of pink light enveloped the clearing, forcing Sesshoumaru to turn away and hold up his arm to protect his sensitive eyes. When the morning sun reasserted itself, he lowered his arm and looked back, expecting to find a dead girl and a wolf with a mouthful of blood.

But Kagome was the one standing, staring at the mass of fur lying at her feet. The wolf's body was smoking and smell of burning hair and flesh pervaded the clearing. Its leg was twitching as Kagome watched, although her eyes were not seeing. Sesshoumaru went forward quickly and drove his blade deep into the wolf's chest. The beast gave one final keen of death and lay still. "Kagome?"

Her mouth was open slightly as she shook, her breath rattling through her lungs. Sesshoumaru wanted to shake her, snap her out of it, but he didn't want to touch her. What had happened? Her power incinerated a youkai life somehow, that was clear. The sudden shift from 'helpless human' to 'demon slayer' terrified him. The little girl before him actually _terrified_ him. It was a concept he could not totally grasp. "Kagome?" he said again. His rough tone hid any of his nervousness.

She blinked and closed her mouth. "Wow… that was… unexpected."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "You have never done that before?"

"No," replied the girl firmly. She finally lowered her hands. "Wow," she said again. "That was so _awesome!_"

The smoke rose from the corpse, clouding the air between him and the girl. He swallowed hard. "You should have told me you were a witch."

Kagome laughed, giddy from the exertion of her power and the relief at being alive. "I'm not! I'm not a witch. I'm a miko. Sort of. I purified him though. Just like a good and proper miko should!" She held up her hands. "But I've never done anything like _that_ before. And I've been trying for _ages_ too. What a time to be successful!"

Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched and he tried not to take a step back. "A miko?" He hadn't sensed that. How could he have missed such power?

She nodded, not seeing his hesitation. "Yeah, it's a family thing. Wow! This is… I mean, how awesome! I wonder if I can do it again? I mean, I'll still use my arrows, but it's good to know I'm not defenseless in close quarters! Wait until the others hear about this!" She stepped over the corpse, staring at it, transfixed, as she picked up her bag. "Wow!" she said again, slinging the bag over her shoulder.

"Hmm." He took a step back as she turned to stare at the wolf's body again.

Kagome turned sharply and looked at him, the corners of her mouth turning down. "Hey now, I'm not going to hurt _you_, Sesshoumaru," she said, reaching out. Her forehead was shining with beads of sweat. In the sunlight, it looked as if she was covered in tiny diamonds.

He deftly avoided her touch. "I did not know you were a miko."

Her frown remained. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said again. "I don't hurt demons that have _helped_ me. What sense would that make?"

Sesshoumaru tried not to look like he was trying to get out from her immediate area. Of course, a miko of her caliber had been known to purify demons from several feet away. He suddenly had the vision of his charred body being carried back to his father. "It would make no sense. But when are humans logical?"

"Now that's unfair." She kept her hands wrapped firmly around the straps of her bag.

"I almost failed to protect you," he said. "If you had not purified the wolf, I would have failed entirely."

Kagome shook her head. "That doesn't mean I'm going to purify _you_."

"You would be within your rights." He narrowed his eyes. "And a miko never needs a reason to rid the world of a youkai."

"That's not true," she said, getting angry. "I've met lots of demons that I would never hurt, even if I had been able to do that."

Sesshoumaru turned his head. "We should not…" He took a raspy breath and leaned forward, a hand clutching at his chest.

"Oh Kami." She dropped her bag and moved forward, making Sesshoumaru move back twice as fast. Kagome glared, putting her hands on her hips. "Now stop that! I'm not going to hurt you! Although you might need a good slap right about now! I just want to look at it, okay? You got hurt helping me and I'm going to help you get better again. So what if I'm a miko? We know how to heal people, right?"

Blood seeped out from between his fingers. "I will heal on my own."

Kagome shook her head. "Not very fast, you won't. You've gotten all worked up over me trying to purify you and your heart is pumping out all this blood. Look at that! It wasn't bleeding that badly when the wolf did it in the first place!" She took another step forward.

This time Sesshoumaru didn't step back, but he kept a wary eye upon her. He drew his sword, making her retreat. "I will allow you to bind the wound. If I feel your powers rising, I will kill you without hesitation."

The miko rolled her eyes. "Fine. It's a deal. Come over to the stream."

They walked over separately, but as soon as Sesshoumaru sat down on a smooth rock on the bank, Kagome's hands touched his. "Come on, I need to see it," she said softly, pulling his hand away. He growled softly, but lowered his arm.

It was a deep wound. She could see the white bone of his sternum. But it also looked as if it was already clotting. Her hands went to his collar. "I hope you're not overly fond of this haori," she said, "because it's ruined. Do you have another?"

He shook his head. "I had planned to return today. It was a short patrol."

Kagome frowned slightly and then shrugged. It couldn't be helped. "Take it off then and I'll get some of my bandages." She went to her bag as he slowly pulled off the haori, the pain of the skin stretching evident on his face, but he managed to peel it away from his body. He dropped the clothing to the side and leaned forward to catch his breath. When Kagome turned back, her eyes widened.

Oh my, she mused silently. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed. His long braid hung down over his shoulder and blood dripped onto his pants and the ground. His bare back and chest were as pale as expected, making the ruby red of the blood appear even more tragic than it was. It was actually painful to look at his broad shoulders and finely muscled arms. Kagome realized in that moment, more than any of the million other moments in her life, that she had truly missed out on certain parts of life.

He looked up at her and the pain in his gaze brought her back to herself. She held up the bandages. "Here they are," she murmured, practically running back to him. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, she pushed him back so that he was sitting up straight. The bloody haori was beside him, on another rock.

She put down the bandages and went to the stream, dipping the cleanest part of the ruined clothing into the water. Going back to her patient, she wrung out the fabric and pressed it to his chest. The blood spread through the white fabric with shocking speed. She clucked her tongue. "Where's your breastplate? You wouldn't have gotten this if you'd been wearing your armor."

"I have never worn a breastplate. They are cumbersome."

Kagome smiled, keeping her eyes on his wound as she mopped up the blood. "Yes, so cumbersome as they save your life and all." She went back to the stream, rinsed the cloth and repeated the process. "You should get one." You _will_ get one, she added silently.

"I will consider it."

She grinned and unwound the bandages from the coil. "Well, you're healing already, so that's good. Fast too."

Sesshoumaru looked away. "I would have lived, without your help."

Kagome nodded. "I know, but you would have lost a lot of blood if you kept hyperventilating like that. You would have been weak."

"Not if I had not been tending to you."

She laughed softly. "Tending to me? You were scared of me! And acting like a child."

He pushed her hands away. "Leave me be, woman."

She shook her head. "No. I will bind your injury, which you only got because of me. Thank you, by the way."

Sesshoumaru growled softly and a spot of blood appeared through the bandage that Kagome had just placed over the wound. She sighed and replaced it without a word. "I have told you not to thank me, miko." His golden eyes went everywhere but her face. "I promised to protect you. I was honor-bound to do so and I failed."

Kagome shrugged. "You can't save everyone all the time, Sesshoumaru. Next time, you'll be my samurai in shining armor, I'm sure." She laughed as he scowled. "I was teasing. You need to loosen up, Sesshoumaru."

He raised an eyebrow. "I am perfectly alright the way I am."

"You've been grumpy all morning," she said, wrapping tape around his torso. "I mean, granted, there was a wolf demon there and you got slashed across the chest _and_ you found out that I was a miko that could fry you with a touch, but even _so_, you're just a big grump."

Sesshoumaru sat rigidly as she leaned forward, encircling him with her arms in order to wrap the tape around him. She smelled of ginger and oranges. "You talk too freely, Kagome."

She laughed again. "What? Afraid of honest women, Sesshoumaru?"

He sighed as she tied off the bandages. "No. I am afraid of nothing."

"Really? That's kind of silly. There's plenty to be afraid of in the world, and you don't have to be a coward to be afraid of them," she said, as she stood up. As she packed away her medical supplies she threw him a knowing look. "You were afraid of me just a few minutes ago!"

Indignation rose his chest. "I was never afraid. I was _apprehensive_ of your power. Not of you, Kagome."

"Uh huh. Sure." She winked at him and closed up her pack. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I am _fine_," he said, gritting his teeth. "Stop pestering me, woman. And stop that incessant cheeriness. It grates on my senses."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "See what I mean? A big grump!" She rustled through her bag, pulling out a fresh outfit. "Anyway, I should get dressed. I can't exactly go around in my pajamas," she said, gesturing to her 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' tee-shirt that Eri had brought her after a trip through Europe. It had been a joke, of course, and had been forever deigned as a not-in-public garment. The purple plaid flannel pajama pants were probably a bit much too. "I'll be back in a flash."

Sesshoumaru grunted his acknowledgment as he inspected her handiwork, running his claws over the bandages. The miko had done a decent job, he decided. Not that he had needed it, of course. She was a curious creature though, able to kill and heal with the same touch. He shuddered freely at the thought of being purified by her hand.

Kagome reappeared and stuffed her old clothes into her bag. "I desperately want a bath, but I guess that'll wait." She swung the backpack onto her shoulder and looked at him expectantly. "Are you ready? You promised to take me back. Then you'll be free of me."

"I remember. I will see you to your destination."

Her heart squeezed painfully and her breath left her chest. She realized that she had no idea what to do after he had left her. Jump into the well and hope for the best? Maybe it would take her home, or to Inuyasha's time. Or, it would take her farther into the past. Kagome wasn't particularly enamored with that possibility. She didn't know of anyone older than Sesshoumaru, after all. No one that could be of any help, anyway. She could find Myoga… She was fairly sure he was older than Sesshoumaru.

She shook her head clear of that ridiculous idea. She would figure it out when she got to the well.

Sesshoumaru frowned at his companion's distracted expression and rose to his feet. "Let us hope that secret power of yours does not bring us any more excitement this morning." He paused and looked at her. "Do you require food?"

"Nah, dinner was _more_ than enough," she said, snapping back to attention. Although Sesshoumaru had polished off the majority of the deer, she had had enough to keep her full for a week. She walked to the bank of the stream, plastering a smile onto her face. "Ready?"

Without waiting for an answer, Kagome stepped onto a rock in the middle of the water, delicately keeping her balance as she moved to the next rock. Sesshoumaru watched with interest as she moved like a bird, hopping from one place to another, until she ran out of rocks. She stood teetering for a moment on her toes. "Just walk into the water," he said. "It is not deep."

"No way! It took forever for my jeans to dry last night!"

He sighed as she wavered atop the stone. Crouching, he easily launched himself into the air, catching Kagome by the waist as he passed by, and landed softly on the other side. "There. Now you will not complain about wet clothing," he said, immediately releasing her.

"Thanks," she murmured, feeling her cheeks warm involuntarily. Get a grip, Kagome, she admonished herself.

"Are you coming?"

She looked up and realized that Sesshoumaru was already several paces ahead. "Oh, yes! Sorry, I was just thinking." She hurried her steps. "I'm still on a bit of a high from the emergence of all my power, I guess."

Sesshoumaru appraised her bright red face. "Hmm. I see." He waited until she caught up and began to walk again. "Will your friends be in the village then?"

Kagome shrugged, the color fading from her cheeks. "I'll try to get to them. I hope I can."

"And if you cannot?"

The miko frowned and suddenly her morning's achievement meant very little. What use would it be if she could never reunite with the people she would protect with her new power? She suddenly wondered if they had missed her yet, if Shippo had cajoled Inuyasha into going to find her or if they were all waiting beside the well and watching for her reemergence. "I don't know."

The taiyoukai frowned as well, realizing that he had distressed his temporary companion. "I am sure Rin and Inuyasha will find you."

"Inuyasha has his own troubles," she replied sullenly. "As for Rin… well, she would be happy to see me, I hope, but I don't think she would have any idea how to find me." She smiled softly at the memory of the little girl. It had been such a long time since Kagome had seen her though, that Rin was probably already a foot taller. The last time the group had seen Sesshoumaru, he had been alone, and of course, no one had been with him when she met the taiyoukai by the well a few nights ago, five hundred years into the future.

"But this Inuyasha, he protects you?"

Kagome shrugged again, not sure how to answer. "Sometimes. I don't always need to be protected," she said with a small smile, holding up her hands. "I think if Inuyasha found out about what I did today, he would expect me to do it all the time and protect myself."

"Now that you _can_ protect yourself, it will be easier for all of your traveling companions," said Sesshoumaru.

"True. It's funny, but I've never gotten close to that sort of power before, despite my best efforts," Kagome replied. "Maybe I relied on Inuyasha a bit too much. You know what I should do? I should get a bow, some arrows and just practice using my miko powers. I'm usually so worried about my aim, so maybe that's what's been holding me back. What do you think?"

He blinked. "I have no idea how miko powers come into being. If you are an archer, it makes sense that you worry about your aim. Be grateful that you can defend yourself without a bow too. It would be best to ask another priestess your questions, not a youkai. Are any of your traveling companions priestesses?"

Kagome scrunched her nose. "One is. But I don't particularly want to ask her. She's… a _difficult_ person to get along with. We have a monk in our group as well, but he would be practically useless regarding questions about my powers."

"A miko _and_ a monk?" asked Sesshoumaru. The slight panic that had arisen upon discovery of Kagome's holy powers returned again. Unlike Kagome, the monk and strange miko would probably not be so clueless as to their abilities. "Is it wise that I join you to find them? They may believe that I am an enemy."

You are sometimes, she thought with a frown. "No, that's alright. Once we get to the village, you can leave. You've done more than enough, Sesshoumaru."

Only a few minutes later, they emerged from the forest not far from where Kagome had been attacked by the samurai. Kagome could see the villagers working in the fields below them, unaffected by the presence of the samurai the day before. She smiled softly. After all, these were the ancestors of her friends, of the village she knew and loved. "Guess we're already here. It's time to say good-bye then," she said, turning towards the dog demon. "It's been a real trip, Sesshoumaru. You have no idea."

The taiyoukai nodded. "It has been interesting. Farewell, Kagome." He turned and started to walk back into the forest.

"Wait."

He turned to look at her and despite the sunlight, Kagome remembered the dark night five hundred years into the future, when he had given her the same look. Kagome tried to smile, but it came out awkward and she dropped it. "Would you like some chocolate? As a thank-you, for all you've done. I mean, I know you don't want me to thank you, but I want to, so I was hoping you would let me." She let out a little sigh at her own ramblings.

He approached her slowly. "What is chocolate?" he asked, pronouncing the word slowly.

She bent down and pulled one of the foil and paper encased bars from her bag. The cold air had kept it from melting and she held it out to him. "Chocolate. Candy." She narrowed her eyes for a moment. Chocolate wasn't healthy for dogs, but surely a dog demon wouldn't be affected the same way?

"I am immune to poison," he said, reading her expression the wrong way.

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "I'm not trying to poison you. But you probably have never had chocolate before. I was wondering if it would upset your stomach. But Inuyasha has eaten it before, so…" She shrugged and picked up her bag. "Let's go eat by the well over there. I don't particularly want to sit in view of the village."

Sesshoumaru nodded, following her more out of curiosity than anything else. "Is chocolate a delicacy in your village?"

"Well, some people would think so," she replied, "but it's pretty common, so I don't think it qualifies. But it is good. You'll see."

The Bone-Eaters Well came into view and they sat down nearby on the sun-soaked grass. Kagome threw back her head to look up at the sky. It was unusually bright for the autumn season and she breathed in the cool air. "It's a beautiful day. A good day for chocolate."

Sesshoumaru glanced up as well and gave a small shrug. "It is just another day. Only your mortal life-span has fooled you into appreciate a sunny day more than a rainy one."

"Maybe because sunny days are _nicer_ than rainy ones," replied Kagome, as she folded back the shining silver foil of the chocolate bar. "Not that I can't appreciate a nice thunderstorm once in awhile, but I prefer days that I can be outside and not get wet." She broke the bar into halves and handed one to the dog demon.

"You have a peculiar aversion to water," said Sesshoumaru, taking the dark bar into his hand and staring at it. Its sweet smell rose to his senses and he watched as Kagome took a bite of her half.

"You have a peculiar aversion to chocolate," she replied. "Go on. Try it. I promise I haven't poisoned it. Sheesh." She rolled her eyes and collapsed back onto the grass, shielding her eyes from the sun with her forearm.

He sniffed at it again and took a bite, surprised at how quickly it dissolved on his tongue. "It coats my throat in an unpleasant fashion," he said, chewing slowly.

Kagome sighed. "Okay, besides that, how do you like it?"

"Acceptable," he replied, taking another bite.

She chuckled softly and got to knees, edging over to the well until she could lean on the side of it. Her arms folded underneath her cheek, her head was turned towards him. She nibbled on the chocolate bar. "May I ask you a personal question?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Depending on the subject matter, yes."

"Have you ever wanted to run away?" she asked. "Not want to go back home? I mean, you've probably had so many chances on these patrols of yours."

Sesshoumaru swept his tongue over his chocolate-coated fangs. "I would never dishonor my father by running away in cowardice, no matter what trials I have faced."

"That wasn't my question and you know it."

He swallowed thickly. "Once. After my mother left. I was only seventy-five years old. A child in your terms. No more than eight in human maturation. I was not able to patrol on my own then, of course, but I remember wanting to run away."

Her eyes were alight with polite curiosity. "Why didn't you?"

"I knew even then that it would bring my father dishonor to have such an ungrateful heir. Also, he would have come after me and found me within moments. I had no desire for his punishment," he said, finishing his treat.

Kagome closed her eyes. "You were young though."

Sesshoumaru licked the chocolate from his fingertips, as Kagome's eyes remained closed. "I am older and wiser now. I would not shirk my duties."

"How admirable."

He looked at her sharply, although she was still resting against the well. "You have a duty as well," he said. "You have that power that the wolf was after, that I sensed last night. It is your burden to bear, in your own words. You would not abandon that duty, would you?"

"No, I can't. I know that." She opened her eyes and they were so filled with pain that Sesshoumaru had the urge to look away. "But sometimes, you're asked to run away. You're asked to leave your duty behind."

"You have been asked to abandon your obligations?" Sesshoumaru frowned. "Who has done that? Has he no honor?"

Kagome slid off of the well, her body pooling into a heap as she sighed. She popped the last bit of chocolate into her mouth and slowly sucked the melted bits from her fingers as she stared up at the sky. Sesshoumaru looked away. "It was Inuyasha."

"And who is he to tell you to give up?" asked the dog demon, indignant at the suggestion of surrendering one's honor.

"Once upon a time, he was my hero," she replied quietly.

"Past heroism is no reason to hold a man in high regard," said Sesshoumaru.

Kagome arched a delicate eyebrow. "So if you ever start killing humans without reason and you become cold-hearted and you are cruel, I shouldn't have respect for you anymore?"

The bridge of his nose wrinkled for a moment at her words. "If those actions are truly without reason, then there is no honor in them. But when judging another creature, you must understand that you do not and cannot understand all of his motivations."

"I'll keep that in mind," she murmured.

"You ask strange questions."

She nodded. "So I've been told."

They sat in silence for a few moments and Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered over the forest every few seconds. He was ready to leave, but she wasn't ready to let him go. Not yet, not when she felt so uncertain about what was at the bottom of the well. "Sesshoumaru, did you hear what the wolf said to me before I purified him?"

"No, I was rather occupied with your impending death and my own injuries," he replied bitterly.

"Right. Well, he said that he wanted the power that I'm carrying. He said that 'it will exalt _him_ to a higher level of power'. Tell me that doesn't sound like trouble."

"Obviously, the wolf had a pack leader, to whom he planned to bring your belongings."

Kagome looked over at him. "_That_ wolf? _That_ wolf was not the leader of his pack? Come on, Sesshoumaru! I've met some pack leaders and they were scrawny compared to that demon."

The taiyoukai frowned slightly. "I have been hearing some strange reports of a demon gathering followers in this part of my father's lands. I came here partly to find out if the rumors were true, but I have found no proof."

"I think you did," countered the girl, sitting up. "The wolf definitely worked for a powerful demon and considering he almost split _you_ in half, the wolf was powerful enough on his own." She raised her hands in surrender as he glowered at her. "Hey, I'm just pointing out what happened. You're a good fighter, I promise, but he did almost kill you. Let's be honest about that."

"Whereas you soundly destroyed him," muttered Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, exactly," said Kagome, rather enjoying his sulking. "The point is, you shouldn't be so dismissive of the idea that there's something gathering influence around here. And if I'm right and that wolf was the leader of his pack, then you have some serious problems. Where there's one wolf, there's always more. Believe me, I know. Sometimes you just can't get rid of them, however much you want to."

The taiyoukai arched an eyebrow. "You speak of personal experience."

She colored prettily. "Yeah, I kind of have a wolf demon that tells me he's in love with me on occasion." She swallowed and glared at the smirking dog demon. "It's not funny! It's really embarrassing!"

"I am not amused by your embarrassment at the situation. I am amused by the fact that a miko who purifies a wolf with such ease can also be subject to another wolf's unwanted affections." The smirk broadened. "Perhaps if you tell him you've murdered his brethren, he would leave you alone."

"I didn't murder anyone! It was self-defense."

"Of course." He went back to staring at the sky.

Kagome growled in the back of her throat. "Oh, you're just angry that a little girl beat the big, bad wolf when you couldn't."

Sesshoumaru remained silent for a few moments. "You truly believe that the wolf has a master aside from his pack leader?"

She nodded. "Even if it is his pack leader, that's one powerful youkai."

"Very well." He stood up and looked to the horizon. "I must leave."

"I was just teasing," she said, frowning at his abrupt eagerness. "About me being a better fighter than you."

"I am aware of that. But I must return to my home."

"Liar. I've offended you." The frown deepened. "You weren't so keen to go home a minute ago. Or am I just boring you?"

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. "You have given me more to consider in one day, Kagome, than any human has done in my lifetime. I believe that you may be _too_ interesting for my tastes."

Kagome sat up and pulled her knees underneath her chin. "You still afraid of me?"

"No. But I must go. If you are correct about this wolf having a master, I must report it to my father."

The miko tried to smile. "Oh, alright. I understand." She stood up and brushed off the bits of grass and leaves stuck to her backside. "Goodbye, Sesshoumaru." She bowed and straightened in time to see him incline his head ever so slightly.

"Goodbye."

For the second time, he turned to leave, but she didn't call out to him this time. His bare back, wrapped only in her bandages, receded into the trees and she blinked. He was gone. She felt surprisingly alone.

"Snap out of it," she murmured to herself. "That was Sesshoumaru, after all. You'll just go home and forget all about this. Never mind that he might have been your only friend in this place."

Kagome sighed heavily and turned to the well, placing her hands upon the edge. She had tried to feel its power earlier, when she had been talking to Sesshoumaru, but their conversation had distracted her. She couldn't feel its power.

Now she could. It pulsed quietly, weakly, beneath her fingertips. "Okay, here's the deal," she whispered. "I get home and then I figure out what's wrong with you. Deal?"

She decided to climb down, instead of jumping blindly, just to be safe. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, Kagome gripped the edge of the well and lowered herself into the pit. Her tennis shoes slipped against the clay walls and her fingers turned white with pressure as she worked her way down. Each foothold was a five-minute search and she was sweating before she was halfway down.

Her hand suddenly came away from the wall, with a chunk of clay shoved between her fingers and underneath her nails. She shrieked and fell, landing hard on one ankle and her hands at the bottom of the well.

A shooting pain went up the leg that had taken the brunt of the fall and she grimaced, easing herself onto her hip. "Son of a _bitch_," she groaned, clutching at her ankle.

"An ironic choice of words."

Kagome looked up to see Sesshoumaru's face at the top of the well, his braid hanging down over his shoulder. She glowered at him. "Are you going to help me, or just stand there?" she groused.

"Why are you in a dry well?" he asked in return.

"I felt like a drink," she snapped.

He rolled his eyes, withdrew from view and, a moment later, jumped down into the well, landing with a grace that only made her ankle hurt worse. He reached down and took her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. Kagome didn't have time to appreciate the proximity. Another gliding leap and he was setting her down in the grass. "If you continue to call me back here, I shall never escape you," he muttered.

"Look who's talking. You were back here in half a second. What were you doing, watching me from the trees? Stalker."

He rolled his eyes. "I will not reply to such a ridiculous comment. By the way, you are filthy now," he said, frowning at the handprint she had left on his shoulder.

"So sorry," she muttered, looking at the dark viscous sludge on her hands. The sarcastic anger slid away from her face. "You know, this doesn't look like mud."

Sesshoumaru paused from brushing it off from his shoulder and sniffed. "It is not. It is… blood. I think."

"What?" She shrieked again and started rubbing her hands onto the grass. "Oh, I'm going to have to bathe for a week straight!"

"It is mixed with decomposing leaves and other plant material," he continued, ignoring her outburst. He frowned slightly. "This was a tree demon. Or at least parts of it."

"Ohhhh, ew," groaned the miko, realizing that the sludge was all down the length of her leg. "There wasn't a dead tree demon in the well _yesterday_."

He looked at her. "You make it habit to jump down into this particular well?"

"Shut up. I've got to change clothes again." She tried to stand and put pressure on both of legs before collapsing back onto the grass. "Or not," she squeaked. "That hurt."

Sesshoumaru bent down and pulled her foot towards him, earning him another squeak. He tugged down her sock and applied some pressure to the joint, eliciting a hiss of pain from Kagome. "You have twisted your ankle. It is to be expected when you jump into dry wells."

"Would you just shut up about that?" she gritted out. She took off her backpack and started to look through it. "I don't have any tape or Ace bandages left."

"_Ace_ bandages?"

She sighed. "Never mind. Look, could you take me to the village? I know they'll freak out when they see you, but they'll probably have a miko. I obviously can't go searching for my friends yet. Or ever." She threw a dirty look towards the well. "If you don't take me though, I'll be left to crawling. Please don't make me crawl."

"I will take you. There is no need for pleading." He scooped her up into his arms again. Her bag rested in her lap. "I do not require chocolate for this."

Kagome relaxed and leaned against his bare chest, her knees disappearing into his thick pelt. Her ankle throbbed, but she barely paid it any attention. "Thanks," she murmured, fighting the fluttering in her stomach and the blush that crept up her neck.

He shrugged and began to walk down the hill towards the village. "You have caused me much trouble, woman."

"It's what I live for these days apparently," she muttered. "That, and jumping down wells." She laughed softly.

He looked down at her and frowned. "You are crying."

Kagome reached up and found the tears as they wet her fingertips. She mimicked Sesshoumaru's frown as she watched the droplets run down her hand. "I am."

"Stop it at once," he ordered, pulling back a little.

"Sorry," she murmured, wiping the droplets away. Fresh tears replaced the old ones as quickly as she could rub them dry.

"Are you in great pain?" He tightened his hold slightly.

She drew closer to him, resting her head at his throat. Her tears dropped down to his chest, creating little streaks of silver on his skin. "Yes," she said. Her heart was contracting suddenly and painfully, squeezing with each breath.

The well didn't work.

It was the first time she realized it, although she had been aware of it the instant her foot had crumple beneath the weight of her body. The well had closed her off. Even in her state of realization, she couldn't figure out why. It had power coursing through it. She had felt it. What was wrong? Why would it have thrown her further back in time by a few centuries and then close her off completely? It didn't make sense.

She could only think that she was lucky she hadn't jumped from the top. She would have had a broken leg for that.

"They have seen me."

Kagome lifted her head and realized that villagers were scurrying across the fields, away from the taiyoukai, like cockroaches when you turn on a light. She wiped the tears away once more and sat tall in Sesshoumaru's arms. "They won't hurt you as long as I'm here," she whispered.

"Or they will try to hurt me _because_ you are here," he replied. He watched with narrowed eyes as the villagers clustered around the end of the path he was walking upon.

"Please don't kill anyone."

He scoffed.

"I'm serious, Sesshoumaru."

He sighed. "I will try."

One last tear dripped down her cheek. "You really are different." She blushed as he looked at her with a bemused expression. "I mean, different than people said you were."

"You know entirely too much about me," he murmured.

"You have no idea."

He walked down the path between the rice plots where almost nothing grew. The crowd at the mouth of the village swelled. They brandished rusting farming tools and he heard a few murmurs about how closely he held Kagome to his chest. And how comfortably she leaned into him. He wanted to strike at them, wipe the filthy words from their filthy mouths, but he would not drop Kagome. The villagers only stopped when her ears could have heard them as well.

He paused at the edge of the field, looking at the angry, contorted faces of the villagers. Kagome tried to smile and failed. "I need a healer. A miko," she called. "I've hurt my ankle."

They murmured among themselves again.

"Please. He won't hurt you," she said.

"Demons aren't welcome here," shouted someone from the back. There was a wave of agreement.

"This is pointless," muttered Sesshoumaru.

Kagome frowned. "Look. I'm a miko, okay? Believe me, if he were a threat, he wouldn't be here. I just want someone with a few supplies so I can tie up my ankle and then we'll leave."

"You can't be a miko," a woman with a squirrel-like face called. "You wouldn't be touching that thing if you were."

She watched as the men took the women close to them, protecting them with their bodies and Kagome realized what they thought about the demon that held her. "Oh, for the love of…"

The crowd parted suddenly and a woman appeared. She wore a miko's uniform and a sword at her side. Tall and healthy, she seemed to dwarf the sickly villagers around her. Her face was full and her hair was black and clean, with a widow's peak on her forehead. She had the healthful glow that only the truly penitent possessed. The miko appraised Kagome swiftly, her eyes not even touching upon Sesshoumaru. "She is a miko," she declared. "She tells the truth."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Midoriko?"

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A/N: All the information I found about Midoriko just said that she lived 'centuries' before the anime. Considering that she wore a traditional miko uniform and the iron armor, she couldn't have been _that_ far back in history. So I decided 300 years was pretty much as close to a guess as anyone could get. Please review. It's getting colder and reviews keep me warm.


	4. Familiarity

A/N: Ah, exams. The very word strikes fear into the heart of most graduate students, but when you're a first quarter law student, it damn near kills you. And I almost did die. But I lived for the sake of you guys and this story. So I'm sorry it's been awhile, but I hope to get the next chapter out much more quickly to make up for it. We'll see.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 4: Familiarity

Dust swirled around her feet as she moved, searching for ingredients among the unmarked clay pots that sat around the edge of the hut. The fire burned low and she barely looked as she threw another log on. Sparks flew up, dangerously close to the hem of her red hakama.

"Here it is," she murmured, picking up a large jar close to the door. She put her nose to it and sniffed, grimacing slightly. "Still good." She picked up the strips of cloth she had found earlier and moved towards her patient.

She worked silently for a few minutes, dipping the cloth into the balm and wrapping it around Kagome's ankle. It was warm and slick and Kagome shifted, uncomfortable to have this great miko at her feet.

"How did you know my name, Kagome-san?" murmured Midoriko, reaching for another strip.

Kagome blushed and looked away, wishing for more company than the quiet priestess. She had been ushered into the hut quickly after calling out the other miko's name. The villagers had accepted her as a miko as soon as the words fell from Midoriko's lips, but Sesshoumaru was still outside. He had growled as one of the braver men had lifted her out of his arms, but they kept their scythes pointed at his throat and he had acquiesced. Kagome wondered if he would continue to wait for her. "I um… you're famous… where I'm from."

She smiled shakily at the other miko. Midoriko was not the sort of person to lie to. She wasn't lying, of course. Kagome could envision that stone form of the miko every time she closed her eyes. This was definitely the same woman. The same strength, the same unyielding passion, the same woman that had birthed the Shikon no Tama from her soul and the soul of the demons she fought. She was just a few years younger in this time, in this moment.

"I did not think I was so well known," murmured Midoriko. "Where are you from?"

"Um, you know, here… there… I wander a lot." Another truth.

Her careful, dark eyes fell upon Kagome. "I see." She stood up and retrieved a few more strips of cloth, cleaning out the chest where they rested. "You must excuse the conditions of this place. I was passing through and the villagers told me that their healer and his apprentice had died in the last sickness. I have been having a hard time finding things."

"It's alright." Kagome squirmed a little as the balm continued to envelop her foot in unnatural warmth. "So, where are you from?"

"A tiny village to the North," she replied, sitting down to wrap Kagome's foot so that the balm was sealed into the inner layers.

"Are you staying here from now on?"

"No. I was planning to leave today actually. Then, you showed up with your companion."

Kagome gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your plans."

Midoriko shrugged as she tied off the bandages, securing them in place. "I have no true plans. I go where I am needed." She stood and dusted off her knees. "I will go and have one of the men fashion a crutch for you. You should not stand on that foot for a couple days." She frowned at the sludge-like blood still running down Kagome's side. "Perhaps you should change?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I left my things with Sesshoumaru. If someone could…"

"I don't think that anyone is going to approach that demon," replied Midoriko, her voice suddenly hard and crisp. She held up a hand as if Kagome had any choice to remain where she was, and retreated into the other, private room. After much shuffling, she returned with a coarse blue kimono and some geta in her hands. "Here. It belonged to the healer's daughter. She was about your age."

"Doesn't she need it?" asked Kagome, taking the bundle of cloth.

"She died with her father and his apprentice," she replied swiftly. "Are you bothered about wearing the clothes of a dead woman?"

Kagome immediately thought of Kikyo, remembering how agitated Inuyasha had been when Kagome had worn the clothes of a proper miko. It had been a long time ago, but she remembered the jealousy that was already worming her way into her heart, even that early in their relationship. "No, it's fine," she said with a nonchalant shrug.

Midoriko nodded. "I'll get you a crutch. Change and you'll feel better." She pushed aside the door flap and let in the bright orange of the late afternoon sun.

When she was gone, Kagome lifted herself off of the cot and peeled off her filthy jeans while balancing on her good foot. She tossed them into a corner, along with her equally filthy top, wondering if the blood and muck would ever come out. Not that her mother was ever particularly surprised when she managed to destroy another outfit.

She sighed, her arms halfway through the kimono sleeves. She just hoped that she would be able to see her mother again. And her brother and grandfather. And Inuyasha and her friends. Heck, she would be pleased to see Naraku, just to get some semblance of _normalcy_.

Getting into the kimono took the better part of ten minutes, including the obi, but it took her mind off of other matters. When she was done, and had collapsed onto the cot in sweaty exhaustion, Midoriko returned. A crude crutch, essentially two bits of wood tied together with a leather strap, hung from her hand. "Here you are," she said, smiling lightly. She leaned it up against the cot.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Would you like some tea?" The miko held up a worn kettle.

Kagome nodded. "I would, thanks. I should go tell Sesshoumaru I'm alright, though. Do you mind if I go out for a few moments?" She tried to ignore how Midoriko's expression darkened. "He wants to get back to his father and I'm just holding him back. I just need to get my stuff and say goodbye." For the third time, she added silently.

Midoriko breathed out a long sigh. "Very well. It will take a few minutes for the water to boil. Would you like me to come with you?"

The younger woman frowned slightly, imagining how that meeting would go over. She was beginning to get a painfully clear picture of how Midoriko felt about youkai. "No, that's alright. He won't hurt me, you know."

The priestess appeared unconvinced, but turned back to the fire, stoking it with a poker before putting the kettle on. "I will wait for you here then," she said.

Kagome got to her feet and hobbled out of the hut without another look. Midoriko's attitude towards Sesshoumaru was troubling, but not entirely unexpected, especially from a miko. She probably had spent her life destroying youkai like Sesshoumaru. Then again, Kagome had spent the last four years of her own life doing the same. Well, perhaps no one quite like Sesshoumaru.

Outside, the villagers paused in their work to stare at the strange miko. They were coming in from the fields, holding their sharp tools at waist level as if to strike. They were still on guard. She could tell that Sesshoumaru had upset more than one person that day. She wisely decided not to ask where the taiyoukai had gone and continued her limping march down the main avenue of the village, towards the hill and the well.

Dark was closing in quickly. The days were growing shorter and the temperature dropped more every night. Kagome wished she could wrap her arms around herself, instead of hobbling on a crutch, but she was saved at the end of the fields.

"Are you staying here for the night?"

She nearly screamed and she did jump, landing sharply on her ankle. "Son of a… Ow." She closed her eyes a moment and jerked around to look at him. "Thanks for that," she groused.

"I apologize for startling you. Are you staying here for the night?" he asked again.

Kagome looked up at the sky. "Looks like. I came to get my stuff." She smiled uneasily.

He picked up the yellow bag and held it out for her. "That power…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" She worriedly reached out for the pack. All the shards were there. She could feel that, but the curious gleam in Sesshoumaru's eyes was disturbing. She was reminded once again that this was a younger, more rash Sesshoumaru. "What about it?"

"Will you tell me its nature?"

She laughed without mirth and took the bag. "Why should I? It's my burden. It has nothing to do with you."

"I am aware of that," he said, his eyes upon her face now. "But if I leave you, you will be alone with that power."

"I've done it before," she murmured, unclear of where he was going.

"But before you had your friends," Sesshoumaru replied. "Now, you have only these humans around you."

Kagome smiled softly. "You're worried about them taking it? Don't. It doesn't have any effect on humans. Only miko can sense this power and only demons can be affected. I shouldn't have left it with you actually. You were the one in danger."

"It called to me," he whispered.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I would imagine it did." She checked again to make sure he wasn't hiding any shards on his person. Nope, all clear, she thought with relief. Fighting a shard-crazed Sesshoumaru on a bad ankle wasn't how she had planned to spend her evening.

"It rang false," he said, straightening his spine. "It promised power, but it would not be my power. It would be its power. I have no desire for power that is not rightfully obtained."

Kagome suddenly thought of taking him to have sit-down with Naraku or Inuyasha. An hour with the Jewel and a young Sesshoumaru understood. Maybe it was only hanyou that had thick skulls. Of course, she wasn't sure he had a clear idea of what 'rightfully obtained' meant either. Didn't he continually try to murder his own brother for the Tetsusaiga? "I'm glad you realized that," she said.

He nodded. "But it remains dangerous. To all that only hear the promise and not the deception."

"And to everyone in that demon's way," she added. "I've seen villages laid to waste over this damn thing."

"So why are you taking it among humans who you cannot trust?"

_Ah_. Kagome shook her head slightly and smiled. "I told you. They can't be affected by it. And do you really think any of that bunch is about to make cuddly friends with demons?" She looked at him. "Besides, I've only known you for a day. And yet I gave you the shards."

"Shards?"

She flinched. "Yeah. That's what they are. We should call them as they are. 'Power' gets kind of vague." She shrugged and dropped the bag to her feet. Her arms were tired from the walk with the crutch. "Look, I'm not holding you to any obligation here. You've done your thing. Saved me twice. I think that's pretty fair for a stranger. And I know you want to get back to your father and tell him about your suspicions."

"They are your suspicions, not mine," he replied. "What will you do if I leave?"

"I don't know. I was thinking of asking Midoriko to help me," she said. "I'm separated from my friends by more than just distance. I might need some major magical work to get back to them. I figure a priestess might be a good bet."

"You _are_ a priestess."

"Not a very good one." She laughed softly. "At least, not until this morning. But Midoriko knows a lot more than I do. She's had proper training."

He glowered for a moment and crossed his arms. "She hates my kind."

"Most do," she murmured.

"But you do not," he replied. "You would be so willing to travel and trust someone that does not hold the same values as you do?"

Kagome frowned. "Well, I wasn't really thinking about it that way. But what choice do I have? As it is, I'll probably have to stay here until my ankle heals. And then, I'll need help with my… my situation." As she spoke it, her ankle began to bother her again. "Look, Midoriko put on some tea for us and…"

"Very well. You can go." He turned. "I am not leaving though."

"What? Why?" She picked up her bag and nearly tipped over from the weight.

He caught her easily and situated the bag on her back. "Obviously, you need my assistance," he said. "Discuss whatever you need to discuss with the miko and we will leave tomorrow to go wherever you need to go."

"That's really not…"

"It is. Those shards have great power and two human women, even if they are miko, cannot defend against the onslaught of what you may face." Sesshoumaru sighed and squared his shoulders. "And I do not trust her."

"You haven't spoken to her."

"I do not trust her scent."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh. Well, then. She must be evil. Kami, you dog demons and the smell thing! It's creepy. Ever think of that?"

He arched a delicate brow. "Dog demons?" he repeated. "You know of more than me?"

Mentally slapping herself, Kagome sighed and nodded. "Inuyasha. He's half. I guess his name kind of gives it away."

"You consort with half demons?"

She was about to snap at him, tell him off for ragging on hanyou that couldn't help that who they had for parents, but she stopped. He was looking at her with a curiosity that she had never seen in the future Sesshoumaru. He really wanted to know, she realized. "Um, yeah. He's my best friend," she murmured. "Didn't I mention that?"

"No." He shifted his weight and looked at her with his golden eyes, which blazed under the slowly setting sun. "You had a relationship with him?"

Kagome frowned. "I don't really see how that's any of your business."

"I simply ask because mates will find one another, regardless of the barriers," he said, scoffing lightly. "He would find you."

"Oh. No, then. We're not exactly in a relationship." She was hit by his curious look again and shrugged half-heartedly. "Once… I kinda wished for that. But it's silly. He's completely hung up on his former girlfriend and she's back. And oh, it's just a big old mess. Kind of irritating too, you know? I'm out of high school already. Enough with the drama." She huffed and crossed her arms, before realizing that Sesshoumaru was completely clueless as to half of her rambling. "Sorry."

"It is alright. I began to think of other things," he said.

"You're kind of a jerk," she muttered, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Why would I want you along with me?"

"Aside from the reasons I stated earlier?" he asked, arching his brow again. "You might get tired of walking on that pathetic crutch."

"So?"

"I will carry you, if necessary." He watched as her eyes bugged out. "I detest sloth."

Kagome balanced on her good foot and waved the end of the crutch under his nose. "Not sloth! Twisted ankle!" she growled. She grew tired and leaned against the crutch again, sighing. "Fine. I suppose you can carry me."

"Thank you for the honor," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"You're the one that offered!"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "My responsibility to my father is to protect his lands. These shards you carry present a potential threat, greater than the rumor of a powerful demon. There are always powerful demons, most of which I could destroy myself. But those shards… they are different. And dangerous."

"You really have no idea," she murmured. She sighed and looked at him. "If you come with me and Midoriko is there, you have to realize that she's not the same as me. You're right. She doesn't like demons. And she's got more power than me."

She took a breath and he only looked at her expectantly.

"In other words, Sesshoumaru, don't piss her off. Not so good for your health, get it?" Kagome watched as deep irritation rooted into his expression. "All of this is getting so difficult. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

The miko smiled. "Because you haven't been able to escape me. I'm sorry that I'm causing you so much trouble."

"It does not bother me. I have no great desire to return home," he said. He looked up to see the sun setting behind the hills. "You should return to the priestess."

"Okay," she murmured. "I _am_ sorry. Probably not sorry enough though. I'm finding that I kind of like having you around."

"That is surprising to you?" he asked.

She laughed and nodded. "It is, actually. Goodnight, Sesshoumaru. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Tomorrow."

Kagome smiled brilliantly and turned back, ambling towards the village on her crutch. She knew he was watching her. He wouldn't be there if she looked back, but he was watching to make sure she made it to the village safely. She felt oddly warmed with the thought and she was still smiling when she entered Midoriko's temporary hut, dropping her bag by the door. "Sorry I took so long," she said, still smiling. "Sesshou…"

Midoriko sprang up like a jack-in-the-box, her eyes fixed upon the yellow bag at Kagome's feet. She let loose a soft cry and turned her face away.

"Midoriko?" Kagome hobbled forward as fast as her ankle would allow. "What's wrong?" she asked, reaching out for the miko.

The priestess calmed after a moment, her breathing evening out, although sweat was shining upon her brow. "I… It's going to sound silly, but that yellow bag felt like… it felt like it had my heart inside of it. It felt like my heart – the one inside of me – was screaming." She took another deep breath and smiled softly at Kagome, clearly embarrassed by her behavior. "Forgive me."

"No, no. It's… it's fine," Kagome said, cursing in her head. Why hadn't she thought of this? Bringing Midoriko and her complete soul into the same area as broken pieces of that soul was bound to have some effect.

Midoriko was relaxing, coming away from the wall she had shoved herself against, but Kagome could see that she was sending wary glances towards the yellow pack. The younger miko reached out and touched her arm. "It's like that for miko, when they first encounter it," she said, wildly improvising, and wincing at the brassy tone of her voice. "It hurts. When I first came aware of it, believe me, it felt like something was ripping out of me too." Ain't that the truth, she added silently.

"What is it?"

Kagome wrinkled her nose and sat heavily down on the cot. "Um, well, funny story. Maybe not so funny…" She stopped and frowned. "It's just some shards of a powerful jewel."

"How is that funny?" asked Midoriko, frowning also. "And how is it that I feel it?"

"Only miko and demons can sense it," whispered Kagome, realizing that she was quickly backing herself into a corner.

"Where did it come from? Who created it?" She took a step towards the bag and Kagome reached out, capturing the elder woman by the wrist. "Why is with you?" Midoriko asked, looking down at her.

Kagome sighed. "It's… well, I can't tell you any of that. It's powerful. That's all you have to know. And it's dangerous. I suppose you can say it's my job that it doesn't get used for evil purposes." She released Midoriko and leaned back.

"Does it have anything to do with…" she trailed off for a moment. "With why you're different?"

The younger miko blinked. "What? How am I different?"

"In many ways," said Midoriko, sighing lightly. "But I would have to say that the most glaring difference is one that probably only I can see. You _glow_."

"What?" She sat up again and squinted at the other miko. "What do you mean by 'glow'?"

Midoriko waved her hand towards the doorway. "Everyone out there, from the town pauper to the villager elder to that demon that accompanied you here, is like a white light. And then you… you're like this blinding pink light. More than a light, even. A great fire." She looked away for a moment. "I knew you were coming as early as yesterday. I could feel you. See your light."

"Oh, kami…"

She leaned close. "I have met kings and great miko. None of them had a light like yours. It's as if you don't even belong here. You… you aren't from _this world_, are you?" Midoriko's eyes widened at her own suggestion. "I should have figured it out earlier. That power, your glow, your clothes. Even the way you speak is foreign to my ear. I have never seen anything like you."

Kagome's heart was plummeting, through her chest and down into the floor. She had wanted to do this on her own terms, on her own time. But then, time wasn't exactly on her side lately, was it? She sighed and pushed her hair back. "Midoriko…" She couldn't finish.

"Are you trapped here? In our world? In _my_ world?" Her eyes were alight with the fire and the curiosity. Her hands were shaking.

"Okay, you have _got_ to calm down," said Kagome, realizing that this was the height of excitement. She grabbed Midoriko's hands and forced her down onto the cot beside her. Looking into the miko's burning gaze, Kagome sighed. "Listen to me and listen to me carefully. You cannot tell _anyone_ this. Especially not Sesshoumaru…"

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The taiyoukai walked up the hill slowly, completely unaware of the two women talking about him in the village below. He had seen her to the hut and now looked forward to a restful night under the boughs of a tree somewhere. After all, he had been awake the entire night before, protecting Kagome and those _shards_, as she called them. Normally, he could last many nights without a wink of sleep, but he had been pushing himself hard on this patrol and now he could barely keep his eyes open.

It was probably the only reason he hadn't slaughtered those villagers that had threatened him with their farming tools. Farming tools! As if the son of the West would allow himself to be injured by farming tools. Of course, he had also promised Kagome to not to hurt them, but he felt that righteous indignation at the villagers' rudeness deserved the majority of his attention at the moment.

He stopped and looked down at the human village, where they were beginning to light their oil lamps. He could smell the fatty liquid burning, even from here. Weak little creatures. They couldn't even see in the dark. He had not been lying to Kagome when he had said that he held nothing particular against humans, but he did pity them for their weakness.

Kagome. She was not weak. Well, perhaps she was in the physical definition of the term. But so many demons fought with their magic as she did that morning and they were not considered weak. No, he had to admit that Kagome had escaped his pity for that particular inferior trait. Although she did _talk_, didn't she? Girl never shut up, not even in her sleep. He wouldn't admit that he found it rather appealing, listening to her half-pronounced mumbling.

The early evening wind whipped around his form and he sighed, remembering that he was bare from the waist up, except for his bandages of course. He ran a hand over his chest and didn't feel even a hint of tenderness. The wounds were all sealed up, as expected. He would have torn off the bandages, but he had little desire to wander about with absolutely nothing on.

He began walking up the hill again, hoping to find a pleasant spot free of villagers' interference, but in view of Kagome's hut before dark. He spent little time on why he was so concerned with watching for her safety. That was not the point, after all. She carried the shards and it was the shards he followed now.

Sesshoumaru came within sight of the well and stopped with a frown.

The well was overflowing with black, odorless smoke. It rolled over the sides and across the ground like fog. In the waning sunlight, he could see that the smoke was glittering with a pink and purple sheen.

He had a feeling Kagome would be quite distressed to see this.

A shadow eased out of the forest and Sesshoumaru's frown deepened. It walked on four legs, skulking through the smoke and he could hear its jaws snapping. Another wolf.

"You killed my brother."

Sesshoumaru drew his blade. "I kill many demons' brothers," he replied, not bothering to say that it had been Kagome that killed the wolf's sibling. The skin across his chest tightened as he began to swing his blade, telling him that perhaps his body wasn't quite ready for this.

The wolf snapped its jaws again as it emerged from the smoke. Sesshoumaru noted, with some irritation, that this was apparently the elder brother of the pair. He was as large as a warhorse. "I am here for my brother's revenge," the wolf said.

"I guessed," said the taiyoukai dryly.

The wolf sprang forward.

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"So that demon is in your future too?"

"Well, it's not very hard, is it? For a demon, that is, to live another three hundred years."

"What is he like in the future?" Her eyes were narrowing dangerously.

Kagome frowned. "You know I can't tell you that." She watched as the other priestess sank into a dark mood. "Look, I didn't tell you all of this so that we could talk about whether Sesshoumaru becomes a big teddy bear or a cold-blooded killer. He really has nothing to do with this, not here in the past and not there in the future. I _told_ you because I need _help_."

Midoriko took a breath. "Of course. Forgive me." She gave her companion a wan smile. "Perhaps we should start with studying the actual well itself?"

"Nothing felt wrong when I was there earlier," said Kagome. "But if you can see something wrong, that would be something."

"The trouble is that the well isn't imbued with holy magic," said the elder miko with a frown. "Any priestess would have a difficult time managing such power unless she knew exactly what she was doing. Something could go wrong if I tried to meddle too much."

Kagome drew her good leg up and tucked her knee under her chin. "Alright. We'll take it easy. What if you can't find anything?"

Midoriko thought for a moment. "There are tales," she began slowly, "of a witch in the mountains to the north. They say that she is human, but that she is older than any demon. She knows everything about arcane magic, like the magic in the well. If she couldn't figure it out, I don't think anyone could."

"A trek to the mountains?" asked Kagome, looking down at her ankle.

"You'll be fine in a couple days. I suggested the witch because she never leaves the mountain peaks. Every person that you tell about the well is another person that could…" She trailed off. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I can imagine it wouldn't help matters."

Kagome nodded. "You're right. The less people that know, the better." She looked at the other miko from out of the corner of her eye. "Are you going to come with us? If your inspection of the well doesn't come up with anything?"

"I was considering it." Her expressions hardened for a moment.

The younger girl sighed silently. "You don't have to protect me from Sesshoumaru, if that's what you're thinking. If you're going to come, come because you want to. Otherwise, just point us in the right direction."

Midoriko closed her eyes, pressing her palms together. "I will go," she said at last. "I think that…"

The priestess was cut off by a shrill scream from outside. "What was that?" muttered Kagome, scrambling to get upright as fast as she could.

They rushed outside to see the entire village gathering in the street. The sun had set, casting a blue-gray haze over everything. Many villagers began to light torches and they rushed upon Midoriko as soon as she appeared. "That demon! That demon is here!" they cried. "He's killed something!"

Kagome turned and saw the shock of silver hair that she so easily identified as Sesshoumaru, moving closer to the village. The people cried out at the invasion, turning away from the two miko and going to meet the demon head-on. "He'll kill them all," she whispered to Midoriko. "If they threaten him, he'll kill them." She pushed past the elder priestess and began to limp towards the taiyoukai.

The villagers were crowding in around him, shouting unintelligible words, offending her with just their tones. They wouldn't clear the way for her and she abandoned the crutch, after a child grabbed onto it and would not let go. She simultaneously pushed people away and leaned upon them as she made her way through the crowd.

A woman confronted her. "You said he would go away!" she yelled. "And look what he's done! He's killed our livestock! What will we do?"

"Get out of my way!" Kagome snapped, shoving the woman hard. Her heartbeat was pattering erratically and she was shaking. She watched as the woman fell, dragging her eyes away as she was stepped on. "Stop!" she cried, lunging forward so that the woman could take her hands.

The woman kicked out at her, catching Kagome above her injured ankle and flooring the miko. "Get away from me!" she screamed, crawling to her feet and disappearing back into the crowd.

Kagome groaned, but stood up as well, hanging onto oblivious peasants that were screaming at the demon. She could understand their words now. They echoed the woman, screaming that Sesshoumaru had slaughtered their animals.

She broke free, through the perimeter that surrounded the taiyoukai. He stood in the center, his eyes finding her immediately. "Kagome."

He was covered in blood, although his sword was sheathed. In one hand, he carried the massive head of a wolf demon, nearly identical to the one Kagome had purified that morning. "Sesshoumaru?" She winced as she limped forward. "Are you hurt?"

"No. None of this blood is my own," he replied. "But I am starting to put more faith into your ideas of a powerful demon roaming around this area." He lifted the wolf head as blood dripped onto the ground. There was a trail of it behind him.

Kagome glanced at the villagers. They were staring at her, but had not stopped their shouts and threats. "They think you killed the livestock." She wavered on her good foot, keeping the bad one propped up on her toes.

"I am aware of that," he said, swiftly dropping the wolf head and reaching around her waist. He looked down at her as she rested against him. "It was the wolf that killed the animals."

"I figured that it wasn't you," said Kagome, closing her eyes as her ankle throbbed. "Thanks."

"Hn." He shifted her so that more of her weight fell upon him.

"Of course, you're getting blood all over me. Again." She smiled at him, trying to ignore the shouts of the crowd.

He arched an eyebrow. "Then you will have to wash it out."

"I was thinking of changing into my other jeans."

Sesshoumaru craned his neck, looking down the length of her body. "You have already changed and I prefer this," he said.

"Oh. Well." She laughed lightly. "Then I'll wash it." She was getting a funny feeling in her stomach. Not quite butterflies, but definitely not food poisoning either. She'd had both and this was a whole new sort of feeling. Perhaps it had something to do with chatting to a taiyoukai about clothes in front of livid villagers that were poised to kill him.

"You should not be here," he said, glancing up at the crowd. "They will harm you without regret in order to harm me."

"I'm a miko," she replied, aghast. "They wouldn't."

"They think I have _tainted_ you." He smirked at her confusion. "They think that you are not a virgin. Because of me."

"Oh!" A flash of anger crossed her face. "That's really rude of them."

He nodded. "And foolish. You are obviously a virgin."

"Okay. We're going to have to talk about _that_ little comment later, pervert. But here, let me talk to them." She felt his grip loosen and touched her good foot to the ground, turning neatly in his arms. The villagers stilled. Kagome could see Midoriko at the edge of the crowd, carrying her yellow bag. She was frowning at the younger miko.

"What are you guys doing?" Kagome said, her brow creased. "He just saved you from a wolf demon, a demon that _did_ kill your animals and you repay him with threats?"

"We didn't have any wolf youkai around before _he_ came!" called a man. The others cheered in agreement.

Her head was beginning to hurt already. "Look. He had nothing to do…" She trailed off as the villagers behind her began to shout. "What _now_?"

Everyone turned. Even in the twilight, they could see the black smoke rolling down the hill towards the village. The villagers began to panic around them, alternately screaming for their crops and for their lives.

"Ah. Now I remember why I came," murmured Sesshoumaru. "It is moving faster than it was when I was on the hill."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Kagome, her voice rather shrill.

"I was being threatened by farming tools."

She sighed. "This isn't my best day ever," she murmured, watching the smoke approach the village. "What is it?"

"I do not know. It is coming from that dry well."

"The well?" Her eyes darkened and she frowned. "Of course. That would just figure." She wanted to scream, to hit something, but she lacked the energy to do any more than swear under her breath.

Midoriko appeared at her side. "Come on, Kagome-san. I think it's safe to say we're going to find that witch. But we have to do something about this first. I'm thinking a barrier to contain it. Here," she said, handing her the battered crutch.

"It would be much faster if I carried her," said Sesshoumaru, narrowing his eyes at Midoriko.

"Yes," said Kagome, cutting in before the elder miko could make a remark, "but this is going to take some major holy power. You should stay _very_ far back, Sesshoumaru. Once we have a barrier around it, we'll leave. I don't think we're very welcome here anymore."

Sesshoumaru nodded and the two miko began to walk towards the cascading smoke. Blood dripped off of Kagome's kimono where she had been pressed up against him.

He turned away, intending to take Kagome's advice to heart. He had felt the pain of purification before, and he had no wish to repeat it. He was fully aware that he was lucky to even have a chance to repeat such pain.

He had killed that miko, he remembered. She had joined a group of brigands as a decoy, asking travelers for help until the gang could fall upon them. It was an effective con. Who would deny the poor priestess help? Sesshoumaru suspected that she had no idea he was a youkai when she had tried to play her game with him, although he was always unclear how she could not have sensed his demon power. It had been dark and cloudy when she had stepped out in front of him on that road. She had been horrified at her mistake, when he easily killed the gang that tried to attack. She tried to purify him. It was like blades raining down on his skin and he had snapped her neck for it. She was the first human woman he had ever killed.

The fact that he didn't do the same to Kagome when he had first realized what she was had surprised him.

Now, he never could. He could have escaped those villagers easily, despite the difficult battle with the wolf that had drained most of his remaining energy. But she tried to protect him. She didn't stand back and let them attack. And… had she been _flirting_ with him?

The idea was preposterous. She was a priestess. Even if she had no proper training, he had a feeling that miko knew they were supposed to stay away from 'unclean' things. And he had a good idea that he fell under that category. At least, Kagome was the first miko to act as if he _didn't_ fall under that category.

He was just not accustomed to humans that did not turn away from him in fear. That was all. That was the only difference between Kagome and any other human. And although it was a pleasant difference, it meant nothing more than that. He was appalled by any other implications it could have anyway.

So he would not think of it anymore.

He walked through the streets, listening to the angry whispers of the villagers. They would not act now. They had dispersed and no longer felt safe in their diminished numbers. And although they were blaming him for the ominous fog, they would not risk bringing it upon themselves any faster by antagonizing him.

He leapt up into a towering tree on the edge of the village, watching as the black smoke rolled ever closer. He could see the two miko walking slowly up the hill, protected by a small barrier. The smoke didn't seem to actually affect anything, but he was pleased that they would take such a precaution. Even if it did nothing, black smoke pouring from a dry well probably did not bode well.

It was mysterious though. He had never seen anything quite like it. Threatening, but apparently harmless. It defied logic if it was an attack of some type. What would be the point? Perhaps, he mused, it was a byproduct. It was simply the waste of some other process. Like the smoke produced when he burned something with his poisoned claws. The smoke did nothing, but the poison was quite effective. He had no idea how that could apply to this black fog, but it would explain its tactical failings.

They were standing in the smoke near the well now. They spoke to each other, putting their heads close together. Sesshoumaru could almost hear the soft, serious voice of the younger miko. He wondered if she was as upset as he had predicted she would be by this occurrence. She had seemed to accept it rather easily in the village, almost as if she expected it. Of course, she had also been attacked by a large wolf demon and twisted her ankle during the day, so perhaps she was simply tired of the intrusions into her life.

But there was something about that well… He couldn't figure it out for the life of him why anyone would care about a dry well, although it obviously was not all that it appeared to be. He remembered that she had been running from the direction of the well when they met. And he remembered how she rested upon it that afternoon with sad eyes and a quiet voice.

And that elder miko, Midoriko, had mentioned something about a witch once the well began to spew forth the smoke. He had a feeling that Kagome had told Midoriko some secret while her ankle had been fixed up.

He was rather offended by that.

But, he could understand it. Perhaps it was something between miko. Or perhaps between women, although he wasn't sure that Midoriko qualified as a woman. She had more stone in her heart than he did. He couldn't imagine Kagome warming up to anyone as cold as her. Then again, she seemed rather fond of him. But he wasn't thinking of that.

He saw Kagome dropped her crutch and lifted her arms in time with Midoriko. The air began to crackle with energy. Sesshoumaru's skin began to tingle as if someone was lightly scratching him, and he shivered as he sat in the boughs of the tree.

There was a flash of pink light and a translucent dome appeared, arching out over the well and the entire cloud of black fog. Sesshoumaru drew back, feeling he was too close to the flame, but the dome withdrew even faster. It shrank, pulling the smoke towards the well until he could only see a small pink bubble on top of the hill covering the well and its immediate area. All of it was over in a matter of moments, although the air still held the static of holy power.

He watched as the two miko leaned upon one another. Kagome was clearly the worse for wear. He leapt down from the tree and made his way to them, avoiding the villagers who were now pouring out of their huts and staring up at the hill. He could hear them speaking about Midoriko, praising the 'glorious' priestess. There were no words of praise for Kagome. They were only amazed that she had any power after defiling herself with the demon. He wondered why they were so obsessed with the sexual behavior of a miko and youkai. Maybe it was a human thing?

Kagome was still sitting upon the ground when he found them, as Midoriko was circling the well. The pink barrier was completely filled with black smoke, swirling beneath its surface, but Kagome smiled at him. "That was kind of hard," she breathed.

"But you were successful," he said. He offered her a hand and pulled her up. "Will it hold?"

She tucked the crutch under her arm, letting go of him, and nodded towards Midoriko. "That's her call. I've never done anything like that before."

"It looks like it will hold," said Midoriko. "Not forever though. If that smoke continues to come out of the well, the barrier will break."

"And you still do not know what it is?" he asked, directing the question to Kagome.

"No." Kagome sighed. Sesshoumaru could tell she was telling the truth. "We should go to this witch and see what's wrong."

"A witch?" asked Sesshoumaru, arching an eyebrow. "You mentioned that before. What good would a witch do for a miko?"

"Well, Midoriko thinks she might be able to help get me back to my friends."

"I see." The demon and elder miko regarded one another, neither very pleased.

"We should go now," said Midoriko, "before the villagers decide to come up here." She didn't need to say more about their intentions, but cast an accusing look towards Sesshoumaru.

Kagome smiled sleepily, oblivious to the dark looks passing between her companions. "Yeah, I guess we should leave. Do we have to go very far tonight, do you think?"

Sesshoumaru glanced behind him, towards the village. The people were still in the streets, still wielding farming tools. "Yes." He took her wrist and then pulled the crutch out from under her. "_This_ is a piece of trash," he said, throwing it aside and crouching down in front of her. "Get on."

Kagome smiled again. Truly brothers, she thought as she climbed onto his back, looping her arms around his neck. "Why are you so nice to me?" she murmured.

"Because you are kind to me," he said, straightening up and hooking his hands under her knees. "Did you expect me to repay kindness with cruelty?"

"No," she murmured, leaning forward onto his shoulder and closing her eyes. "You always _were_ honorable."

Sesshoumaru frowned, turning his head to ask what she meant, but Kagome was asleep.

8888888888888888888888888

A/N: I've been watching a lot of British television lately, hence the rather cheeky talk between Kagome and Sesshoumaru in the village and the brisk pace. I thought it was preferable to Kagome and the villagers trading ugly words anyway (earlier versions like that dragged). A few of you have mentioned that Sesshoumaru is getting to be too cuddly too fast. Remember though, this is a younger Sesshoumaru. Izayoi hasn't come into the picture yet and he hasn't had the experience with humans to find out how irritating they can be. Really, Kagome is the first human he has exchanged more than a few words with. And he thinks she's amusing. Nothing past that. Not yet.

And if anyone is wondering, Kagome obviously did not tell Midoriko about the source of the Jewel. She told her the barest details she could manage about the time traveling. Hope that was clear.


	5. Mes Amis

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 5: Mes Amis

She sat on the large, flat stone and looked out over the valley. The sun had set a few minutes before, leaving a cast of orange and red over the green lands below her. It was darker where the hills came together, leaving deep clefts of shadow like a black scar on the land. There was a village near the foot of the cliff where she was sitting. Smoke began to curl out of the huts as the adults came in from the fields. She could even imagine the shrieks of laughter as the children got their last minutes of daytime play in the streets.

"It fits."

The miko turned to see him standing behind her, although she hadn't heard him approach. She smiled to see that he was wearing her gift, the kimono she had bought earlier that afternoon when they passed by a larger town. "Good. It was difficult enough to get."

He nodded and came closer. "The merchant found out that the recipient was a demon."

"Yeah. Midoriko kind of let it _slip_." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the valley. "She's a good person. I just wish she would lose the passive aggressive thing."

"I see nothing passive about it," he muttered.

She bit back a grin, nodding. The past two days had been full of cold silences that had become so familiar in her time with Kikyo. Kagome's throat was raw from talking so much, trying to fill the awkward quiet. Her companions would only answer her, and not speak to one another. It was tiring to be a go-between, especially when they refused to even acknowledge each other most of the time. "You know, I actually had to threaten the guy," she laughed, trying not to think of Midoriko. "Told him that I would send you to get the kimono personally."

The taiyoukai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "And why did you go through so much trouble for me?"

Kagome shrugged. "You've been putting up with Midoriko for two days. With _me_ for two days. All with no shirt and blood all over the rest of your clothes. I thought you deserved it." Her smile softened as she met his gaze. "Plus, I saw it and just knew it was you."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the red blocks of color at the hem of his sleeves and at his collar. There were a few hexagons at the edge of the pattern with small flowers inside, dyed white in order to be noticed. "It is… suited to me," he agreed.

"I know," she murmured, her smile broadening. It was strange to see him in his customary outfit of white and red, here and now when in the future the same sight would strike fear into her heart. She wondered again, for the hundredth time, what had happened to effect such change. "You still need a breastplate."

He nodded. "I am considering it."

Is this my effect on the future, she asked herself. To dress Sesshoumaru? What a ridiculous idea. But it was so odd, to see that kimono in the market, and to know that it belonged to him, although he had never worn it before. "I'm glad," she said. "I want you safe."

Sesshoumaru felt the unusual urge to smile back, but successfully suppressed it. "I am your protector. It makes sense that you would want me safe."

"Yes. That's the reason," said Kagome, rolling her eyes. "Not as if you're my friend or anything."

His golden eyes widened slightly. "You consider yourself a friend of mine?"

"Well, yeah. I suppose I do," she said, the smile dropping into a small frown. "Is that bad?"

"No." He sounded slightly uncertain.

"What? Haven't you had friends before?"

He arched a delicate eyebrow. "Of course. I am over two hundred years old. I believe that you could safely assume that I have had friends," he said, although he pronounced the word with no small amount of snide mockery. "I do not believe any female has called me such, however."

Kagome arched a brow right back at him. "No women? What kind of life is that?"

"A good one."

"Oh! That's mean!" she huffed. She pushed the hair back from her face. "But come on, really now. No women around that you actually made friends with? Didn't you have infatuations? Didn't you want to talk to them? Whisper about them? _Flirt_ with them?"

His nose wrinkled. "Why would I subject myself to such common behavior? No taiyoukai acts like such a fool."

"Love isn't foolish, Sesshoumaru. Neither are crushes. It's how you learn." She frowned at him. "How will you ever know if you're in love if you've never felt anything for the opposite sex before? What were you? Cloistered or something?"

He growled long and low, out of her poor hearing range, although she had touched him, she would feel his chest vibrate. "I never implied that I did not feel attracted to a female," he said finally. "But I have never seen the point of pursuing any sort of relationship with a female when I will have no choice in who it is that I mate with in the end."

"You don't get to choose your own mate?"

"Of course not. I am a youkai lord, the only son of one of the four powerful youkai lords. My mate must be of strategic and financial importance." He scowled at the valley as the color began to fade away. "My father is probably choosing my mate as we speak. It is time I had one."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Do not be. I have accepted this fact of my life since the first time I could comprehend what it was to be a mate, and what it was to be a taiyoukai."

Kagome swallowed, her throat feeling thick and painfully tight all of a sudden. "Do you have any idea who it will be?" she asked.

"It does not matter," he replied, but he saw that she truly wanted to know and sighed. "It is likely that it will be Touran, the eldest daughter of a demon lord named…"

"Oyakata-sama," finished Kagome. The pain of her separation from Inuyasha struck fresh into her heart as she remembered the fight with the panther family. It had been so long ago, at the beginning of her adventures. It was back when she still loved Inuyasha, when she still had hope of something. But she remembered Sesshoumaru too and the way that he had tried to fight for the sake of his family's honor on that day. The two brothers had defeated the resurrected panther leader and then they had separated after the usual trading of barbs and insults. "I know of him."

"You are well versed in the taiyoukai of these lands," he murmured.

She shrugged. "Just a skill of mine. I've always been good with names." She looked at him. "Do you love her?"

She knew that they would never mate. That much was obvious from her memories of the battle with the panther family. But Touran had taken a special interest in Sesshoumaru. Even though she had been so deeply involved with her own feelings about Inuyasha, Kagome had noticed that much. She wondered if this engagement was the reason for the feud between the two families. And here she was, mucking about in the past, perhaps making it worse.

Wouldn't that just be perfectly ironic? Perhaps she would inadvertently get Sesshoumaru to accept the engagement and change the future. Or perhaps Kagome had already made her imprint on the future and this conversation would lead to his rejection of Touran and the subsequent feud. Or perhaps she was placing too much importance on herself by thinking that an innocent conversation with a human girl could possibly have so much affect on the affairs of a youkai heart and mind.

She hated these time paradoxes. It was beginning to give her a tremendous, constant headache.

"No," said Sesshoumaru, after he had been silent for some time. He had not noticed Kagome's inner musings or the emotions dancing across her face. "Touran is an accomplished female and one that most males would be proud to call mate, but she is simply a prize. She has nothing that would endear me to her. She is a strong fighter and has a mind that intrigues me, but she likes to play games and tricks that tire me. She thinks she has a sense of humor, but I have never been amused by her. But, if I must take her, I will."

Kagome smiled softly at the thought of Sesshoumaru acquiescing to _anything_ that he didn't actually want to do. "I'm sure whoever your father picks, it will work out." She stretched her arms above her head and sighed as her spine cracked. "I suppose we should get back to the camp. Midoriko will wonder where we are."

"I told her that I would find you."

"Oh? You spoke to her then?" Kagome turned a dubious eye towards him. "With actual words?"

He frowned. "Well I suppose I could I have written the message in her blood, but I did not think that you would appreciate that."

Kagome shook her head, still smiling. Violence was never taken out of the equation with Sesshoumaru, obviously, in the past or the future. "You're right. I wouldn't. I'm constantly surprised it hasn't come to blows between the two of you though."

The frown deepened. "That would be entirely unnecessary." He met her gaze. "If she ever decided to kill me, she could easily purify me without any fight."

The young miko sighed heavily. "Oh, Sesshoumaru, she wouldn't do that. Then she would have a fight on her hands. She can't purify _me_ after all." She gave him a weak smile. "I guess I'm your protector as much as you are mine."

"Perhaps," he said, "but I believe she would best you in a fight as well, Kagome. You said you are an archer, but that is no help if anyone fights you in close quarters."

She nodded. She had become a very good archer over the years, but she was pretty hopeless at anything else. "You're probably right."

"Training would be beneficial. I am surprised none of your friends have taken the time to teach you," he said.

"Well, my friends are good with hand-to-hand combat. I kind of left it to them. Kind of a mistake, huh?"

"Clearly," he replied. "And we do not have the time during this journey."

Kagome smiled. "It's alright. Most of the things that want to kill me are youkai anyway. I can purify them with a touch. I should be fine." She saw his scowl and shook her head. "And while that does me no good against Midoriko, I seriously doubt that she would risk purifying you. I'm hoping that we don't have to get into a big cat fight."

"Cat fight?"

She blushed slightly. "Yeah. A fight between girls with lots of scratching, like cats. Usually over a guy. Usually when they're both _interested_ in the same guy. Obviously, that's not the exact case here, but I think the phrase still works." She rubbed at her cheeks, willing the coloring to go away. "Anyway, I'll defend you. She'll never purify you as long as I'm around."

"Hn."

"Trust me."

They looked at one another and Sesshoumaru saw the sincerity in her eyes, smelled it in her scent. "I do trust you, Kagome," he said, silently enjoying the way her face lit up. Her ginger and citrus scent swelled with happiness as well. He marveled at how a few words could cheer a small human woman so much.

"Good. I trust you too," she said, and that came through her scent as well. He wondered idly when he had started paying so much attention to how she smelled and her moods. Since when did he care?

She stood up and stretched again, her blue kimono shifting so that he could see more of her throat than usual. "It's getting dark," she murmured. "We shouldn't avoid going back for much longer."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I will take you back and then I will hunt for some dinner."

"Sounds good." Kagome flashed him a brilliant smile and reached out, grasping his hand with her own. "Come on." She began to pull him back towards camp.

The taiyoukai stared at his clawed fingers wrapping around hers for a moment before following. Her hand was so small. He could crush it like old porcelain if he was so inclined. But he felt no such inclination and instead held her gently, as to not harm her with either his strength or his claws.

She was so _familiar_ with him. He could not stop noticing the way that she settled into comfort in his presence, like an old friend, when they had really known each other for a few days. Sesshoumaru was not naïve. He knew that he did not have the warmth and charm that most of his peers had. He had not been entirely truthful with Kagome, after all. He did not really have friends. He had only a group of younger, weaker demons that followed him blindly and adoringly when he was at home. But that was only because he was the son of the Lord of the West, not because of any trait he personally possessed. And they were not his friends, but flatterers. He had no wish for their company. When his father's allies visited the palace, Sesshoumaru would always listen to others his age as they spoke of rowdy outings full of drink, food and females. He had never experienced anything like that.

He wondered if he was missing something. He wondered _how_ he had managed to miss it. Certainly his father had always laughed and shared his own tales of his younger days, but Sesshoumaru always sat silently.

Perhaps it was because he had dedicated himself to his fighting techniques so entirely. He always bested any challenger during his father's gatherings, even many older than him. The incident with the wolf had been the first time someone had had to bail him out of trouble in many, many years. Once upon a time, females would press themselves against him after these challenges, after he and his opponent had exchanged acknowledgments of a good fight. But the females left as soon as they realized he cared more about the fight than the rewards of winning.

Was that what Kagome meant? Had he really missed out on so much by avoiding the company of women? Well, he amended, he had not completely _avoided_ females. They had their useful moments. But every single female he had met was a variation on Touran, his probable future mate. They played games, teased and acted coy, when he had no desire for that. Sometimes, he wondered if they all went to some matchmaker who had taught them that that was a good way to find a suitable male. What a failure of tactics.

So maybe Kagome was not only his first female friend, but his first friend at all, as she had guessed. Sesshoumaru found that that did not particularly bother him. If he would have a friend, he would want it to be someone like her. She hid nothing. He was not sure that Kagome could have any emotion without him knowing it immediately. It was comforting to have that certainty. _She_ was comforting.

Kagome looked over at him as they walked through the trees. She was beginning to wonder what had possessed her to grab Sesshoumaru's hand like that. She had hardly ever done that with Inuyasha, and here she was, holding hands with a youkai that would one day try to kill her. She tried to push down her nervousness. After all, he seemed content to stay as they were. His grip had even tightened in the last few minutes. But she couldn't be silent and just enjoy it. "What's for dinner?" she asked suddenly.

He looked back at her, blinking as if slightly startled. "Was there something you'd prefer?" he asked.

"Um, no. Well, maybe fish. Haven't had that in a few days." She smiled.

Sesshoumaru noticed the way her body was turned away slightly, the way her fingers moved around his own. She was nervous. He dropped her hand and she gave him a wide-eyed look. "I will get fish then," he replied, confused at her slightly hurt expression. Hadn't she been uncomfortable with their proximity? Or had she been enjoying it? _This_ was why he didn't associate with females!

He noticed that she was trembling. "Here," he murmured, removing his pelt from his shoulder. "It is growing cold." He held out the fur for her to take.

Kagome blinked and then reached for it. "Thank you," she replied, wrapping it around her body. She was almost drowning in it, but she was smiling again. "I thought this was your tail."

He sniffed. "I do not have a tail, except in my demonic form."

"Ah, but then you _do_ have a tail." She shivered again, remembering the terror that she had felt when she saw his demonic form for the first time, in the belly of his father's tomb.

He misunderstood her trembling and stepped closer, pulling the pelt up to her neck, to her exposed throat. "I do," he admitted, "at times. But this is not it, obviously." He stepped back again and frowned, his eyes falling to the ground. There was a shift in the air and Kagome felt the darkening sky pressing down on her.

"What is it?"

"I have just thought of a circumstance where the priestess may have to purify me, regardless of your presence." The taiyoukai's frown deepened as he looked up into her suddenly concerned eyes. "Or you will have to do it yourself."

"What? No, I will _never_ purify you," she said vehemently, almost shocking him with her coarse tone. "I promised I wouldn't and I won't. No matter what."

"And if I forget myself? If I, one day, attack you? What will you do then?"

Kagome bit her lip and lied. "You would never attack me either. You're my protector. You said it yourself." Or was that the truth? She was getting confused.

He nodded. "I am. And I will remain your protector as long as possible. But those shards," he murmured, nodding at her chest, where he knew the shards lay nestled underneath her clothing. "Those shards have tremendous power and will call demons to them."

They had been attacked a few times in the last few days by weak youkai, driven mad enough to even take on a taiyoukai. They had not lasted long. "I know. We can take care of them. Purified before you can say 'boo', even if you're not around to help, which you always are. What does that have to do with you getting purified though?"

"Some day, a strong youkai will come for them. Perhaps it will be stronger than I am. Perhaps it will be this demon that sent those wolves after us," he said. He took a breath as her face crumpled into confusion. "When a demon's life is in danger, they protect themselves at all costs. One day, a youkai may push me to the point that I change into my demonic form."

"I don't understand. What does that matter? You're stronger then, aren't you? So wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Sesshoumaru sighed and looked away. "When I transform by choice, I have full command of my senses. It is sometimes, although not often, a tactical advantage to have that size and power. But if I transform under pure rage or when my life is truly in danger, I lose my mind. I am not aware of anything but the need to protect my life. Those shards are powerful enough to bring a demon that could do that to me." He frowned at her. "Do you understand now?"

Kagome's knowledge of the future failed her. She had seen Sesshoumaru transform only once. Sometimes, his eyes grew red with rage, but he had always seemed to stop himself. She could not imagine Sesshoumaru _ever_ losing control. Of course, she had seen Inuyasha transform in order to protect his own life, but that was different. Wasn't it? Besides, Inuyasha might be feral when he turned demonic, but he still had some awareness of his surroundings. But he had also tried to hurt her on a couple of occasions. "Are you saying that you would hurt me?"

"Yes," he said simply. "Without pause."

"I still wouldn't purify you," she said, her eyes turning steely. "Never. It would kill you. No matter how powerful you are. I have defenses too and I can't really control them either."

He nodded. "I know. But you must. Or you will die."

"I'll find another way."

"There is no other way."

She scowled. "Has it ever happened? To you? To anyone you know?"

"Never to me," he replied, sighing softly. "But I once had an uncle, my father's younger brother. It was long ago, before I was born. His mate died in battle and he became so enraged that he transformed. He killed indiscriminately. Our army. The opponent's army. He laid waste and killed every creature he could find."

"How did it stop?" she murmured.

"It didn't. My father had to kill him to stop him from slaughtering everyone."

Silence pounded in her ears for several long minutes. Nothing breathed and it felt as if her heart had stopped dead. "But… that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she cried finally. "What use is a self-defense mechanism if you can't control it?"

Sesshoumaru frowned. "It is the price of attaining a more powerful form, Kagome. It is the price of attaining our true form. Do you believe that this is my true form? I am a dog demon, not a human and yet I could pass for human if I tried." He leaned forward and looked deeply into her tear-filled brown eyes. "The priestess will tell you the same. I am a beast, Kagome. I am an animal. This form is the illusion. This voice is the illusion. Dog demons are not meant to walk on two legs, but four. With our true form comes the price of an animal's mind. And what does an animal do when it's enraged or when its life is in danger?"

"It lashes out," murmured Kagome in a small, mournful voice. Her vision was growing cloudy with unshed tears. "But Sesshoumaru…"

"I am your protector," he interrupted. "But more importantly, I protect these lands along with my father. Kagome, if I transform and I cannot control myself, you _must_ purify me. My father is one of the few demons that could destroy me and he would take too long to get here. You cannot let me go rampaging and killing and destroying my father's kingdom. I know that you want to preserve life, Kagome. If you could save hundreds by killing one demon, you would."

"Not you," she cried, the tears now falling silently.

"Then let the priestess do it," he replied softly. "She would do it gladly. Although, I would prefer that you did it."

Kagome broke and threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his kimono. "I couldn't!" she cried. Her mind tried to tell her that this was all so ridiculous, that she should know that she would never kill him because he lived until Inuyasha's time, unscathed. But she was changing the future, wasn't she? She couldn't figure it out and it was a sharp pain in her heart to realize that knowing the future was no guarantee of _anything_. And to hear him talking like this, telling her to kill him was more than she could bear. "How can you ask me that? How could I do that to a friend?"

"As my friend, you should know that this is necessary," he replied, looking down at the dark head that was pressed into his chest. He could feel her small arms wrapped around his waist and he lifted his hand, laying it upon her black hair. It was soft and thick and flowed between his fingers like water. He sighed as she fell quiet. "I would prefer that you did it. I will understand if you do not want to, however."

She hiccuped and shook her head. "No," came her muffled voice. "I will. I don't want her to do it. She would be too ready. I'll wait and make sure. Make _absolutely_ sure."

"That would also be preferred," he said and he heard another small hiccup of sad laughter. He stroked her hair once more and then caught her beneath her chin, making her look up at him. Her eyes were now bleary with tears, but he allowed himself one of his rare smiles. "You weep for something that will probably never happen. Most dog demons go through their life and never come close to transforming against their will. I was simply warning you. It would be unfair otherwise."

"I know," she murmured. "But you were frightening me."

"I apologize for that," he replied, his faint smile gone again. "I will try to refrain from frightening you again. Although I am confused. I thought that humans were supposed to scream when afraid, not cry." There was a glint in his eyes that told her that he was only teasing to get her to forget her anguish.

She smiled softly in compliance. "Would you prefer it if I screamed?"

"Certainly not."

"Sensitive hearing," she offered and he nodded. "So no screaming."

"I would like it if you stopped crying as well." He frowned slightly. "You are always crying on me, woman."

Her smile broadened and she nodded. "I've stopped. You must think that I'm just this emotional wreck."

"I would not actually say so," he said. "You might cry on me yet again."

"You're cruel," she laughed. She lifted her hand and wiped away the tears. "But I've spotted your clothes. Again. Can't stay clean, can you?"

He looked down to see a large damp spot on his new silk kimono. He shrugged. "It will dry. It is better than blood." He could smell the tears and they smelled of her, like ginger and oranges, full of sadness. He had made her smile though. That was enough to erase that sadness and he was left with her scent on his clothing. And that was not so bad.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "Just kind of hard to agree to kill one of the few friends you have."

"I understand." He suddenly realized that she hadn't moved back. She was _so close_ and she filled every sense. He had to go. Now. "I should go get dinner," he said.

Kagome blinked and pulled back suddenly, as she too realized that she had embraced him. She gave him a shy smile. "Right. Fish. Fish are good." She took a breath and the smile gained confidence. "I'll see you soon then? I can find my way back from here."

He felt his loss keenly. "Do not get lost."

"If I do, you'll come rescue me," she said, still smiling. She drew his pelt around her neck again. Without him, she really was cold now. "You would, right?"

She turned before he answered and began to walk towards the camp on her own, trying to keep her steps steady and even. She didn't want to twist her ankle again. It felt completely healed but Sesshoumaru had warned her that it would be sensitive and easily injured for awhile yet. It was truly growing dark now but she could see a far off flicker of orange light. Midoriko had obviously started a fire. With that as her guide, she walked through the trees. Behind her, Sesshoumaru had slipped away using only the stars and moon to see.

What had just happened? First, an admission of friendship. Then, holding hands and a shared pelt, which she had never seen Sesshoumaru take off for anyone, except when he was injured that first morning together. Finally, sobbing and a long embrace. And, had he been stroking her hair? She put her hand to her hair and felt the warmth of his touch. Or maybe that was just her imagination. She couldn't be sure.

The thought that he had might have touched her with such affection sent her heart to her throat.

Oh no, she silently admonished herself. You are not falling for Inuyasha's brother, Kagome! How stupid could she get? The only thing that could be worse, a bigger betrayal, would be if she suddenly started kissing Naraku in the middle of a battle.

But… wasn't this Sesshoumaru different? This wasn't the Sesshoumaru that rejected Inuyasha, or tried to kill him for the Tetsusaiga, or the Sesshoumaru that used a copy of Inuyasha's mother as a cruel trick. This was _her_ Sesshoumaru. He wouldn't do any of that, would he?

She had to admit that she didn't know. This Sesshoumaru didn't have a little brother. He hadn't felt the betrayal of his father choosing a human mate or favoring Inuyasha over him. And although she would like to pretend that this Sesshoumaru was nothing like that Sesshoumaru in Inuyasha's time, the fact was that something forced the change. It wasn't two separate people, but one demon that had three hundred years to shift his personality. If she was honest with herself – and she was trying to be – she could already see the beginnings of that cold taiyoukai.

But then he had moments like the one she had just experienced, where he called her 'friend' and stroked her hair, smiling and reassuring her.

Kagome realized that she was blurring the lines between this Sesshoumaru and the one of the future. It was the same demon and she could not forget that. It would be fatal. She had to remember to distinguish the past and the future. She had to. The future Sesshoumaru would kill her without a thought. She had to _remember_ the future.

But she had made him _smile_. And that made her much happier than it really should.

Oh, this could be bad.

She got to the camp, where Midoriko was feeding the fire. The elder priestess looked up and immediately frowned. "Why are you wearing that?" she asked.

"I was cold."

"Have you been crying?"

"Yes, but I'm alright now, thanks." Kagome smiled at her and sat down near the fire, loosening the pelt a little to let in the fire's warmth. "Did you manage without us?"

The priestess nodded. "Yes, although I didn't think that the beast would take so long to find you." She frowned. "Did he make you cry?"

She shook her head. "No. I made myself cry. Don't worry about it."

"Kagome-san, that demon is…"

"Don't _worry_," repeated Kagome, shooting Midoriko a warning look. The elder miko was truly a good person. Kagome knew that. But if they were in Sesshoumaru's company, she hardly spoke at all. And if they were out of his immediate hearing, she would begin to make bitter comments about him. Kagome had tried constantly to get her to any subject that didn't involve youkai, but it was a hard subject to avoid and inevitably, her hatred of Sesshoumaru would appear again.

"Fine," huffed Midoriko.

Kagome sighed inwardly, but tried to continue. Midoriko was obviously sore at being left alone for so long and for not being told why she had been crying. Kagome tried to understand. "Are we heading up towards your village any time soon?" she asked.

The priestess frowned again. "How did you know that?"

"You told me you were from a village to the north. We're heading north, so I thought that maybe…"

"Oh. Of course. I had forgotten. Yes, we will be passing by my village. It is necessary to get to the mountain pass. I would prefer not to stop though." She finished shifting the bits of wood in the fire and sat down on the blanket she had already spread out on the ground.

"Why not? It must have been ages since you've been. You told me yesterday that you had been traveling in the south for a long time. Don't you want to see your family?"

"I have no family," replied Midoriko stiffly. "They died long ago."

"You didn't mention that," said Kagome, her voice going soft. "I'm sorry."

Midoriko shrugged. "As I said, they died a long time ago. I was an only child and they sent me away for my training very young with a priestess that said that I had potential. My mentor was more of a mother than the woman that gave birth to me."

The younger miko's mouth became dry. "And what happened to your mentor?"

"What happens to most of us?" asked the elder woman. "She died defending a local village from a demon attack. She killed the demon though. She would have said that it was a good death."

"She saved a village. If I had to die, that's how I would want to do it," said Kagome, pulling up her knees and tucking them under her chin.

"If all the beasts of this world were destroyed, she would not have to have died at all," replied Midoriko venomously. Her eyes flickered about and she leaned towards the younger woman. "What about the future, Kagome-san? Are there demons in your time?"

"_My_ time or _my friends'_ time?"

"Either. Both."

Kagome sighed. "Three hundred years from now, there are just as many demons as there are here and now." She watched Midoriko's expression flicker into deep disappointment. "But you'll be pleased to know that I have never encountered a demon in my own time. Well, at least none that I didn't bring there myself."

The other miko's eyes widened. "Then we are successful?"

"You. You _might_ be successful," replied Kagome with a frown. "Don't include me in those horrible schemes to rid the planet indiscriminately of youkai. I don't want any part of it. And don't get too happy about it. Sometimes I feel the pull of a demon aura at the very edge of my senses. It might just be my imagination, but do you want to know what I really think?"

"Yes." A skeptical look had replaced the previous joy.

"I think that there's a whole demon underground. I think they walk among humans and we don't even know." She lifted her chin and smiled. "They're just too clever, really. We can destroy the mindless ones that destroy without any sense of rhyme or reason. But do you really think we can destroy all the ones that have higher intelligence? The ones that even look human?"

Midoriko scowled. "You're talking of Sesshoumaru."

"Him," said Kagome slowly. "And others too. It's reasonable. Likely, even. I don't believe that Sesshoumaru or any other youkai of his caliber would let the entire species to die out."

"I think that you are too attached to him," said Midoriko, the scowl deepening. "You speak of him as more than a friend. As a lover almost."

Kagome choked. "Don't be ridiculous!" she cried, catching her breath. "He… he would never…"

"Wouldn't he? You're a powerful miko. Think of what he could do with you."

The younger priestess rolled her eyes, trying to suppress her embarrassment and the fear that Midoriko had seen something between her and the taiyoukai. Wouldn't that just be a peach? "You're being ridiculous. He wouldn't do anything to me like that. He's a better person than you think. And yes, I do believe that he will live to my era, because he's that intelligent and he doesn't take stupid risks. Not because I'm… I'm attached to him in any way."

"You're wearing his pelt."

"I was cold!" She took a breath and lowered her voice. "He was just being nice."

Midoriko scoffed and looked to the fire. "That beast is not _nice_. And he is a beast. You called him a 'person', Kagome-san. You are just confirming my worst fears, that you have some belief that he is something like us. In reality, he is _nothing_ like us. He is a…"

"A beast," interrupted Kagome, nodding. "I know."

Midoriko looked at her in stunned silence.

"Don't think you've convinced me of your point of view!" said Kagome, laughing without mirth. "Far from it! But I know he isn't human. He is an animal. But not like you think he is. He's not tame. I know that, but he is good. Good to me at least. And that's enough."

The elder miko frowned. "You sound like a warlord's wife. One of those women who ignores her husband's slaughters because he brings her jewels dripping in blood."

"Sesshoumaru isn't my lover or my husband. He's my friend," replied Kagome coldly. "Now, I would like to stop talking about it."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. The fire crackled and Midoriko shifted, sliding herself away from the other miko in tiny movements. Sesshoumaru failed with his usual sense of impeccable timing and didn't turn up for dinner. Kagome was starving.

"Sorry," Kagome murmured. "I know you must have a reason that you hate demons and here you are traveling with one. It must be hard. And I'm making it worse."

"You make it easier, Kagome-san," replied Midoriko. "Aside from this one matter – a rather significant matter, I must admit – you have been a great friend and I enjoy talking with you."

Kagome smiled. They had spoken very little to tell the truth. But it appeared that she had become friends with two creatures that had really never had a friend in their lives. She wondered how they would react if she told them how alike they really were to each other. On the other hand, she wouldn't take that risk.

"What is the future like?" She caught Kagome's startled look. "Aside from the presence of youkai."

"I don't know…"

"You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to, Kagome-san," said Midoriko, her eyes widening. "I am just… curious. I would like to know. These times are so hard that sometimes I'm surprised that we survive at all."

Kagome nodded, smiling softly. "We do. We survive. Very well, in fact. Not that we don't have problems of our own. There's still war and disease. The biggest problems have stayed the same, I guess. And we have more on top of that. People haven't changed too much. They're still cynical and violent and everything they are now." She sighed and watched the fire dance, pulling the pelt closer. "But there's a lot of good things too. People are healthier. They live longer and so many more people go to school and are educated. You can feel fairly safe in your own home now, depending on where you are. At least armies won't come to your door in most places."

"Do you discover the source of this plague that ravages the villages every winter?" she asked.

Kagome sighed. "Yeah. We call it influenza in my time. It still kills people, but not as many."

"Is there any way…" she trailed off and shook her head. Suddenly there was a tear dripping down the length of her nose. "You can't tell me."

"No. I don't even know the answer anyway. Not in any way that you would understand," she murmured. She got up and walked to Midoriko's side, touching the elder miko's shoulder. "This is why I didn't want to talk about it."

Midoriko nodded and wiped at her eyes. "Tell me something good then. Tell me something wonderful."

Kagome sighed again, wondering what she could say that would cheer the poor woman. She rocked her head back, rubbing at her neck when she spotted the perfect subject. "I know," she said, looking back at the priestess with a smile. "We've been to the moon."

"What?" Midoriko's eyes were wide again, but a touch of amusement danced at the corners of her mouth. "That's impossible, Kagome-san. How could you hope to reach the heavens?"

"We do!" Kagome sat down and pointed up to the stars. "We have these things called rockets. They're like great boats of metal that are tremendously powerful. We put people into them and send them shooting into the sky! They've floated among the stars. They've walked on the moon. Well, that was the Americans that did that, but still, humans did it really."

Midoriko's face was now alight with joyful disbelief. "That's impossible!" she said again.

Kagome smiled, remembering how she had once told Inuyasha of trips to the moon. He hadn't believed her either. "It isn't impossible at all. The moon isn't that far from us, actually. Much closer than the stars. You know when you're on the top of a mountain and you're walking among clouds?" she asked.

"Yes. We will be doing that if we ever find the witch," said Midoriko, smiling now.

Kagome nodded. "It's just like that. When you see the clouds from here, you can't imagine ever touching them, until you get up on top of a mountain and then they're right there! It's the same with the moon. I mean, it wasn't as easy as walking up a mountain, but it's still possible."

Midoriko's eyes widened. "But what about Tsukuyomi? How could anyone dare to walk upon the face of the moon god?"

The younger priestess frowned. "Well, they didn't see much of anything really. It's barren, like the inside of a dead volcano." She caught the slight expression of distress on her companion's face. "Tsukuyomi didn't seem to mind anyway. What is a human to a god? Even if the human is walking upon his body?"

"He is not the most benevolent of the kami," murmured Midoriko.

Kagome looked up at the moon. It was almost the new moon, the night when Inuyasha would turn human. Three hundred years into the future, of course. "No, he isn't. But I suppose he's growing generous in his old age."

"Perhaps." The miko was smiling. "If you didn't anger him then, I cannot believe what it must be like to touch the heavens! Is it wonderful, Kagome-san?"

She laughed. "Oh! I haven't done it! Only a few people have ever gone. Someday though, I'm sure we might be able to."

Midoriko shook her head. "No. Not just anyone. That would spoil it. After everyone has touched heaven, what would be left?"

Kagome smiled, deciding not to tell Midoriko of the vast space beyond what just anyone could see at night. "You're right," she agreed. "It wouldn't be as special if we could all do it. I never thought of it that way."

"But you should go. You are a miko."

"Then you should go too. Wouldn't be fair otherwise."

They laughed softly. It was the first time Kagome had ever heard Midoriko's laugh, she realized. It was light and lyrical. Kagome had almost expected it to be rough with disuse. She had made Sesshoumaru smile and Midoriko laugh in the same night. She expected that had to be some sort of miracle.

A soft pressure in her heart let Kagome know that Sesshoumaru was returning. She smiled and ducked her head, knowing that Midoriko would feel his approach as well. Any demon with his power radiated it with the force of the sun, really. How many times had she sensed Sesshoumaru nearby and not told Inuyasha, knowing that he couldn't even smell his elder brother? She had lost count, really.

The taiyoukai appeared on the other side of the fire, carrying three carp, each one almost three feet long. Kagome's mouth dropped. "Where did you get those freakish things?" she asked. "I certainly hope that more than two of them are for you."

"They are," he murmured. "You should know my eating habits by now, Kagome." He turned them in his hands and Kagome saw that he had already cleaned them. How considerate, she thought with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I should. Just jealous of your slim little figure."

But Sesshoumaru seemed distracted as he set the fish in front of the women and only grunted in vague irritation. The women began to prepare to cook, but he stood still and silent. "What's with you?" Kagome finally asked, once the fish were safely roasting over the fire.

"Something is here."

Kagome's eyes darted up to meet his. "Wolf?"

"No. Something else. Not strong though."

"I don't sense anything," said Midoriko, with a shrug.

"Nevertheless, it is here," he said, circling the fire, keeping his eyes on the trees.

Kagome sighed. "Well, you're freaking me out doing that. If Midoriko and I can't sense it, it can't be very close."

"I do not sense it either. I feel it."

She frowned in tandem with the elder priestess. "That doesn't make a lick of sense." She sighed again as his eyes met hers. He was very serious. So much for harmless banter, she thought. And she had been hoping to… well, she didn't know what she was hoping for. A meal in peace, mostly. Conversation with Sesshoumaru that didn't involve sobbing would be nice too. She could still see the spot on his kimono, although it had faded. "If something is out there, it'll come and get us. For now, can we relax?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and sat down, across the fire and his back against a tree trunk. His eyes continued to study the edge of the camp.

Kagome wiped her forehead with the back of hand and realized she was sweating. And still wearing Sesshoumaru's furs. She turned the fish over on their makeshift spit and walked over to the vigilant taiyoukai, shrugging off the pelt as she went. "Thank you," she said, holding it out to him. "I'm much warmer now."

He reached for it and his claws brushed the back of her hand, immediately sending a chill back down her spine. He arched an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about me," she assured him with a smile, trying to settle her pattering heart. "And try not to worry about whatever critter is out there. It obviously doesn't want to take on two miko and a taiyoukai."

"Obviously," he repeated, although he did not sound convinced. But Kagome had to get back to cooking, so she flashed him a bright grin and turned away. She was surprised when he caught her by the wrist and met his golden eyes. "Sleep close tonight," he said softly.

Her mouth went dry. "I will," she whispered.

888888888888888888888888888888888

A/N: Ah, the start of fluffiness. I hope you all enjoyed it. Yes, the title is "my friends" in French. I don't know French, but it sounded dumb in English and Spanish, which I do know (and actually the Spanish is debatable).

I've never been clear on exactly what pushes Sesshoumaru over the edge to transform (or often, _try_ to transform) to his big doggie form. You know that he can do it on his own volition, because he clearly chose to transform when he was fighting Inuyasha in their father's tomb. When Rin was kidnapped, he seemed to be in less control and Tenseiga stopped him. So I figure that, like Inuyasha, there are times when Sesshoumaru just can't control himself. I made it a bit more dramatic than the anime, but I think it's pretty justifiable based on Inuyasha's actions when he transforms against his will.

Review please!


	6. The Undead

A/N: It seems that the site has caught up with its backlog of alerts and such. Thanks for sticking with me, despite the problems. I hope this gets to everyone on time.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 6: The Undead

The weather turned shortly after noon, when the sun had just started its descent towards the west. One moment it was warm and they could see the blue sky above them, and the next dark clouds of thick, misty gray covered everything and blocked out the sun and any cheer it gave. The air around them felt heavy with impending rain, but not a drop fell. Kagome looked ahead and it was gray for miles and miles, sweeping over the valley they were now entering.

An icy wind curled around them and into their clothes, making Kagome shiver. She had the lightest kimono of the three and although she insisted that she could just wear her sweatshirt, Sesshoumaru handed her his pelt without a word. She wrapped it around and around, until her two companions could only see legs and eyes.

"Someone will think you're a demon," said Midoriko, her eyebrow arched.

"Let them," muttered Kagome, closing her eyes briefly. "I'm very comfortable. It's loads better than my sweatshirt, that's for sure."

"Aren't _you_ cold?" asked the elder priestess. It was the first time Kagome had heard Midoriko address Sesshoumaru directly. She was scowling at the taiyoukai, but Kagome would take what progress she could get.

"No," he replied with a slight smirk that only irritated the priestess.

"Isn't your village nearby?" asked Kagome, heading off any possible nasty retorts from the priestess.

Midoriko nodded grudgingly. "It's that one, just ahead," she murmured, pointing to the only village in sight, just where the road began to run along the flat bottom of the valley.

Kagome paused mid-step at her companion's sullen tone. "We… we don't have to go," she said. "I'm sure there's some other way."

"There's isn't," said Sesshoumaru, stopping to look at her. "Unless you were prepared to take a eight day detour. This is the only pass through the mountains for many leagues."

"We can spare the time," said Kagome, casting an apprehensive glance at Midoriko. Her mouth was set in a firm line as she stared out over the valley. "You said you weren't eager to go to home, Sesshoumaru. It's only a little more than a week extra. What harm would it do?"

He frowned. "We are here. What is the purpose of taking another route if we can pass through this one?"

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but Midoriko cut her off. "He's right," she murmured.

"He… what?" Kagome stared.

"He's right," repeated the miko, turning to face them again. Her face was pale, but her jaw was set and her eyes were steely. "There's no reason we should not go through this pass. I only ask one favor."

Kagome nodded. "Alright. Anything," she said, ignoring Sesshoumaru's frown.

"May we stay for the night? As you reminded me yesterday, Kagome-san, I have not been here in so very long. If I must be here, I should speak to some old friends of mine," she murmured.

"Of course. You deserve a night at home," said the younger miko, a smile spreading. "As long as you're sure. It looks like it's going to rain anyway, so it'd be good to stop," she added, with a meaningful look at the taiyoukai. He only scowled in return.

Midoriko smiled softly and shrugged. "I am simply nervous of returning after so long, that is all. Don't worry about me, Kagome-san."

Kagome nodded and looked to Sesshoumaru. "Come on, then."

"No."

A flicker of concern passed over her face. "What? Why?"

"I will meet you in the morning," he said, "at the entrance to the pass. I will not stay in that village for the night. I will find my own accommodations."

Kagome frowned, but she nodded again. "I understand."

His eyes narrowed. "I doubt that you do. But I will be close. If you get into trouble, call for me."

"Sesshoumaru, what trouble could a bunch of farmers give me?" laughed Kagome, although her voice was shaking. The thought was amusing, but he looked so much like the future Sesshoumaru in that moment that it chilled her heart.

"We will see," he murmured. He held up his hand as Kagome began to unravel his pelt from around her body. "Keep it. I do not feel the cold."

"It's the only bedding you have."

"I will not be sleeping," he said, turning away. "I will see you in the morning, Kagome. I hope not sooner."

Kagome's frown returned with a vengeance, her hands curling into the fur wrapped around her body. What did he mean? How would she not understand? Only when Midoriko touched her shoulder, did Kagome rouse herself. "Sorry. Let's go," she muttered, casting only one final glance at the taiyoukai's receding form.

"He probably just doesn't want to go to the village where I was born," said Midoriko, the corners of her own mouth turning downwards.

"That's what I thought," murmured Kagome. "But that's not it."

The elder miko shrugged. "I couldn't guess what goes on in _his_ head, but it's probably for the best. Come on, Kagome-san."

They walked down the slope and into the base of the valley in silence. Although the village appeared quite small, its fields stretched out in all directions and they passed several farmers hard at work. A few looked up as they passed, but no one called out and no one came to greet them. Kagome frowned at their brief glances and cold responses. "Don't they recognize you?" she asked.

"I suppose it's possible that they do not," Midoriko replied. "This is where I was born, not where I grew up. I have visited many times and I suppose it's as close to a home as I can have, but it has been a very long time."

They continued on. Every person that they passed paid even less attention to them than the person before them did. Although Kagome was accustomed to seeing downtrodden villagers, this reeked of something more than just the typical problems of a poor town in this era. She could practically smell their sadness. "Something happened here," she murmured.

Midoriko glanced at her companion out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "If you go over that hill right there," she said, pointing to the hill that rose up behind the village, "you will find a small Buddhist temple. But if you go there, you will not notice the temple right away. It is nearly obscured by the hundreds of graves on the hillside."

"Hundreds?" asked Kagome. "But this village couldn't have more than seventy people or so."

"Once, when I was young, this entire valley was covered with homes. It's a good valley for farming, but the mountain pass let it thrive upon trade instead. Then, the entire valley burned and almost everyone died. These are all that's left. Now the valley is considered cursed. Travelers avoid it." She sighed again and shook her head. "I did not want to come this way myself, but it is the most direct route to the witch."

"When did all of that happen?"

Midoriko frowned slightly. "Almost a decade ago."

Kagome looked around and noticed for the first time that every tree in sight was a sapling, no older than ten years. She knew that burning was frequently used to restore soil. It made sense that the villagers that were left would stay for that alone. "I'm sorry. What happened? Was it an accident?" As she asked, she knew that it was not an accident.

The elder miko scoffed lightly. "Hardly. It was a demon, with some followers. He had started to kill any traveler on the road and when the villagers started talking about hiring some demon slayers, he burned the valley. They say it was like an ocean of flame."

A demon. That explained a lot, thought Kagome. She decided to risk another question. "Did… did you lose anyone in the fire?"

"My entire family."

"Oh." That definitely explained it.

"And the man I loved."

Kagome turned sharply. "You… you loved someone?"

"Of course. That is possible for us, you know." Her voice was rigid and angry.

The younger miko nodded. "I do know, yes. Who was he?"

Midoriko took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. Her tone softened once again. "His name was Takumi and he was an apprentice carpenter. We were actually born on the same day. Despite my frequent and prolonged absences with my mentor, he always waited for me." The small smile of reminiscence touched her lips. "He loved me first and he was persistent. I was going to leave my life as a priestess and live as his wife. That was all that we wanted."

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. "He was trapped in the fire?"

The nostalgic expression fled and her eyes turned cold. "No. He tried to fight the demon. I was far away when he died."

"Oh." She lowered her eyes, realizing that Midoriko must have been in her early teens when she had lost Takumi. There was no way a teenage boy could stand against a powerful demon and his gang. "Young love. It must have been…"

Midoriko frowned and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it anymore," she interrupted.

Kagome nodded, swallowing thickly. "I understand."

So that was it, then. Midoriko had lost everything because a demon had decided that mass slaughter was the way to keep a village in line. She felt that she should have expected something like that. She did expect it, really. But a lover? That was a twist that was too close to Kagome's own heart.

It was hard to not think of Kikyo. Two priestesses, separated by three hundred years, had lost the men they loved. And they had been willing – eager even – to give up the calling of a miko for the chance to be wives and mothers. Their only chance had been ripped away and they would never be given the chance to escape again.

Even the loss of love would have been surmountable if they just had the luxury of living normal lives where they could get past the death and destruction. But it was a miko's burden that death was never far behind, wasn't it?

With a heavy sigh, Kagome followed Midoriko into the village, where a few people finally began to take notice of the new arrivals. The pain and sadness was more palpable here. Their eyes were dead and vacant, roaming over the miko and then back to their tasks, making Kagome's skin prickle. She pulled Sesshoumaru's pelt closer to her body.

Despite knowing about the fire, Kagome could not shake the menacing atmosphere that was sweeping over her. If they had been in Inuyasha's time, she would think that they were moving to Kagura's fan. Living corpses, all of them.

Finally, someone called out Midoriko's name and the women turned to see an older woman hobbling towards them. She looked like a starved version of Kaede. The eye patch was only substituted for a crippled hand. Its flesh was burnt beyond repair and had become thick and purplish over time.

"Ah, Lady Midoriko. It is good to see you again," the old woman murmured. Her eyes, not as vacant as most, but just as cold, flickered to Kagome. "You brought company."

"Ruka-san," greeted Midoriko with a bow. "It is good to be home. This is my friend, Lady Kagome. She is a miko as well. We are on a pilgrimage together."

Kagome fought the urge to raise an eyebrow at the other priestess's stretching of the truth and bowed to Ruka. "Good afternoon, Ruka-san."

"Lady Kagome. You are welcome here. Will you be staying with me tonight, priestess?"

"I think so," replied Midoriko.

The old woman nodded. "Good to hear." Her eyes darted towards Kagome once again. "Lady Midoriko, we do have much to discuss. I am assuming your time is limited here?"

"It is, but I have time to spare for you, Ruka-san," said the elder priestess. She turned to Kagome. "If you want, Kagome-san, you can explore the village. Ruka-san and I will just be discussing some village matters that will not interest you."

Kagome didn't really want to be left alone, but neither did she want to be with Ruka. So she nodded. "Alright. I'll just wander around. I'll be back before dark."

"Good. Ruka-san's hut is over there," Midoriko said, pointing to the large hut at the entrance to the village. "I'll be with her for the rest of the day, most likely."

"Okay. See you then," said Kagome, with a smile full of cheer that she didn't feel. She turned and started to walk up the avenue, deciding that she would search out Sesshoumaru. He had headed towards the east, towards the graveyard that Midoriko had mentioned, so she decided to start there first. Knowing him, he would appear just as she left the village. And if he didn't show up, she could always look around the graveyard and give her respects to the dead.

She looked around and saw that the villagers continued to ignore her and went on working in near silence. Kagome realized suddenly that _that_ was what was wrong about them. She'd seen that haunted look in plenty pairs of eyes before, but it was the silence that was truly unnerving. There wasn't a single shout of a happy child, or the calm chatter of neighbors. _Nothing_. No wonder this place was creeping her out. The image of Kagura's Dance of the Dead rose to her mind again.

She might be going to the graveyard, but the dead were already all around her. These people had nothing to live for, or at least they felt that way. Kagome sympathized, but she wondered if the fire was all that there was to it. It was nearly ten years ago, Midoriko had said. She would have at least expected some sort of rejuvenated hope. Maybe she was asking too much.

Turning down a side street, Kagome saw the first children she had encountered all afternoon. They were playing a quiet game, although she could hear the murmuring of words. One child was sitting in the middle as the rest joined hands and walked around in a circle. She had played this game as a child and she'd always been good at it, but it chilled her heart to watch them play. They were not running and giggling as she had done in her youth with her friends. They were marching like dead little soldiers, sullenly stopping when they ceased their chant.

"_Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage_," they called in unison with thin, harsh voices.

She shivered to hear her name spoken by these ghosts of children. She wanted to scream at them to stop. Even the silent villagers were better than this. She felt shadows falling around her and she turned her head. Was something here? Watching her? She remembered Sesshoumaru's warnings about a creature following them.

"_When will you come out?_"

Shadows continued to play at the edges of her vision, disappearing as soon as she looked. She would have thought it was a trick of the light if the sky wasn't so devoid of the sun.

"_In the evening of the dawn, the crane and turtle slipped_," the children continued.

She took a few steps back. The sky was beginning to rumble with the beginnings of a storm and she was suddenly frightened of this alley. She was frightened of this whole village. Ice slid down her spine as a wild thought came into her mind – what if the villagers _had_ taken notice of her?

"_Who stands right behind you now?_"

Kagome spun around, her heart beating rapidly. She ignored the cry of the child who had been picked as she stared at the men who had been standing behind her. One stepped forward and glared at the miko. "Who are you?" he growled. Unlike most of the people in the village, he was large and imposing.

"A friend of Lady Midoriko's," she replied instantly.

"Lady Midoriko?" murmured another, a skinny, hollowed out man with large eyes. "She's here?"

The first man scowled. "The priestess would never keep company with you," he said. He pointed at the pelt wrapped around her shoulders. "That's a demon fur."

"My friend gave it to me. What does that have to do with Midoriko?" asked Kagome.

"You shouldn't be here," he snapped, ignoring her question. "You don't belong here."

She frowned and took a step back. She could still hear the children's chanting, starting again from the beginning. "I'm only here for the night. Tomorrow, Midoriko and I will be leaving. What's your problem with me?" She watched as their faces turned cold, like the other villagers. Her heart was still pattering at an alarming pace. "What is going on in this place? I'm a miko too, I'll have you know!"

"We saw you," said the skinny one. His vacant eyes crinkled in silent, joyless laughter. "You were with a demon!"

"He's gone now, okay?" She stepped back again. "Just leave me be."

"A miko with a demon and Lady Midoriko, who is famous for her hatred of demons," said the large farmer. "That is interesting. And strange. And we've had enough strange stuff around here. It'll all happen again if you're here."

Kagome's eyes widened. Not only were they half-dead, but they were insane too! "He'll come for me!" she said. "If I call, he'll come and protect me!"

"Call a demon to this place and you will pay dearly, miko or not!" he snapped.

The large man advanced, but a third caught him by the arm. "Lady Midoriko is still here," he said. "We shouldn't. We should just watch for now. The priestess still knows us."

The men stood in silence as their apparent leader hesitated for a moment. "Fine," he said. "Let's go. The demon will leave eventually, by his own choice or ours."

They turned and went to the main street, leaving Kagome sweating and shaking. She pushed the pelt away from her throat, where it was sticking to her skin. She stepped sat down, her head resting on her knees, against the wall of a hut. Nearby, the children had stopped playing and were staring at her, all in a line.

Kagome shuddered again and looked away, listening as they walked away in the other direction. "Oh kami, what is this place?" she murmured.

She couldn't sit for long. The empty avenue was almost as terrifying as the one filled with dangerous men, terrifying shadows and silent children. She scrambled to her feet and went to the main street, nearly running to the hut where Ruka lived. The old woman had been unnerving when they had met, but now Kagome would give anything for her sanity.

Midoriko and Ruka were sitting by the fire, sipping tea, when Kagome came in. Midoriko frowned at the sweat on her face. "Are you alright, Kagome-san? I didn't expect you to be here so soon."

"There was these… these…" Kagome stopped and looked at the pair of women, who were staring back with a mixture of suspicion and attentiveness. "I… I don't know what I saw."

"You can tell us, Kagome-san," insisted Midoriko.

The younger miko opened her mouth, fully intending to demand their immediate departure. But Ruka rose to her feet and stretched out her hands towards her. "You look tired, Lady Kagome, and Lady Midoriko and I have much more to discuss. Perhaps you would like to lie down for a bit?" she asked.

Kagome looked to Midoriko and remembered the men's words. She still knew them. What did that mean?

She shook her head slightly, realizing that Midoriko was not the one to tell about her experience in the streets. She wished that Sesshoumaru were with her. "Yeah," she murmured, "I guess I'm just tired. I'll rest for now."

She allowed herself to be led into the other room and missed Midoriko's frown.

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Midoriko pulled the cloak tightly around her shoulders as she stepped out of Ruka's hut. The clouds had finally parted after dark and she was relieved to see that the moon provided enough light to find her way. It had been awhile since she had made this trip and she did not want to get lost.

She let the mat over the door drop back into its place, holding her breath for a moment when it hit the doorframe. Ruka snored on though and Kagome's soft little sighs were audible. Kagome had been sleeping since the middle of the afternoon, which both surprised and worried the priestess. She hadn't thought of Kagome as the type to laze about like that. But then, she had been so pale when she had arrived in the hut that afternoon. Midoriko had to wonder if there wasn't more to it than Kagome just being tired.

But she had to go. She could not hover about a young miko who would probably just sleep until dawn. Midoriko walked through the silent streets quickly, the cloak catching whatever breeze whipped through the buildings. She huddled down and made her way to the path.

Weaving through some ill-tended fields, she came to the cleft between the hills and began to climb. The villagers had let the path turn rough, a sign that they had not paid their proper respects, but Midoriko could not blame them too much. She pushed back the brush that had grown over parts of the path and swept aside loose rocks that would make her lose balance. When she reached the other side, she was out of breath and she had pushed her hood back so that the wind could cool her neck.

In front of her, graves stretched across the land, dotting the grass every few feet or so. Too many graves for too small of a village, she thought, not for the first time.

The graves were small and crudely made, as if erected hastily and without proper reverence. Midoriko moved through them softly, her hands brushing the tops of a few as she passed by. A few were new. She could see that they were given the proper care that the victims of the fire had not been given. They hadn't had time then. There had been so many bodies, so burned that they had to go through a process of elimination in order to tell who had died.

She went to the grave automatically, knowing that she could return in fifty years and she could still find it among the sea of gravestones. Kneeling down before it, she brushed her fingers over the only word carved on it. _Takumi_. His parents' and siblings' grave was beside Takumi's. The villagers had given him his own grave because his family's had been filled that day. There was no more room on the slab of stone to engrave any more names.

The priestess prayed in silence over the grave of her dead love, her lips moving without making a sound. Only when she felt the pull of a youkai aura did she lift her head. "What do you want?"

Sesshoumaru moved towards her, his eyes slipping over the graves and reading the names. "Why are you not in the village? You are supposed to protect Kagome in my absence," he said.

"You're her protector. You're the one that left," she said, turning her burning brown eyes upon him.

"I have been trying," he replied, his eyes narrowing. "I have been looking for the creature that is following us. The one I sensed last night."

She frowned. "And? Did you find anything?"

"It has been avoiding me all day," Sesshoumaru murmured. "It only wants Kagome. And you are here! Mourning for some human that is clearly long dead."

"Instead of berating me for something that I could not have known, you should be the one to protect her," Midoriko snapped. "Are you afraid of the villagers? Afraid of this valley, where so many people were lost to your kind that they will never recover?"

He crossed his arms and glared at her. "Why should I be afraid of this pathetic village? Demons kill. So do humans. Life is suffering. Accustom yourself to that reality." He paused. "I must admit that this village suffers more than most. Something odd is going on here. I am beginning to wonder if it has anything to do with what is following Kagome. I think that you know."

"How could I know? I haven't been here in ages," she growled, turning away.

"You keep secrets very well," he replied. "Why should you not know the secret of this village?"

Midoriko scoffed and tried to move away, but he blocked her path. "I have no idea what you're talking about, demon!" she hissed.

"Does it have something to do with Kagome?" he asked, coldly insistent.

"What would a village out here have to do with her?" she retorted. "We're here because we're going to see the witch. You know that, demon."

"What is Kagome's secret?" he asked, leaning close to breathe in her scent. It was drenched in anger and he sneered, unable to penetrate that hatred. "I know she has told you something, something that would explain what we are doing going to a witch. Miko do not consort with witches and yet she readily follows you."

"I'm not betraying any confidences for _you_." She glared up at him. "Why is a taiyoukai so concerned with the secrets of a girl anyway?"

He drew back slightly. "Kagome is… strange," he said, his voice softening but not losing its dangerous inflection. "That does not bother me. But her strangeness seems to put her in danger that I cannot protect her from and that does bother me."

Midoriko's eyes widened. "You _care_ for her, don't you?" she murmured, her lips twisting into a disgusted frown. "You love her."

"She is human."

"That's not really an answer," said the priestess, the frown deepening. "What makes you think that a miko like her would ever want a beast such as you? You're filth compared to her. Your soul is so weighed down by blood that you should not even be able to touch her! You are only here because her heart is kinder than any miko's that I have ever encountered. She must pity you. It is the only explanation."

Sesshoumaru growled, his fist itching to strike out at the venomous woman. "You're trying to distract me. But you will tell me what you know!"

"Why should I? _She_ didn't tell you, so what makes you think that I would?"

"You are a deceptive wench," he snarled. "You were lying last night, when you said you did not sense anything. Kagome is weaker than you are, but you sensed it! You can feel something following us! Following _her_! And you are trying to tell me that I should not know what Kagome is hiding from me?"

Midoriko lifted her chin and stared at him, unflinchingly. "As long as one of us knows, we can protect her. You have yet to tell me one good reason that I should tell you anything! Why aren't you asking Kagome, demon? Are you too afraid of her turning you down?"

It was getting harder to not hit the priestess, to have her blood running down his claws. "It has something to do with that well in the village where I found her," he growled. "What is it? Why must she return to her friends so soon? What about the shards she carries?"

The priestess laughed coldly. "I told you, I'm not betraying her confidence. If you want to know, ask Kagome. But she won't tell you. You just try." Her eyes flashed, daring him.

The taiyoukai was about to throttle the information out of her when there was a distant cry. He lifted his head and looked to the path. "Kagome?" he murmured, his brow lifting in surprise.

The priestess's face lost all of its anger. "What is it?" She had heard nothing.

He growled and took Midoriko by the waist, ignoring her surprised shriek as he jumped and sailed across the graveyard. He began to run down the path, taking great leaps where it was rocky and uneven. His footing was swift and sure and Midoriko soon stopped digging her blunt nails into his skin in fear. But he almost fell when he heard another cry. Midoriko stiffened and he knew that she had heard it too this time.

"She's hurt," whispered the miko.

Sesshoumaru frowned and sped up, taking one great, final leap over the roofs of the huts and into the main avenue. He set Midoriko down and his demon eyes narrowed, finding the small crowd of people in the street as easily as if it had been noon.

Men, at least six of them, encircled Kagome. He recognized his pelt, hanging down off one of her arms. "Kagome?" he called, stepping forward. She was standing still, her eyes locked on the large man in front of her.

The men's heads turned as one to look at the demon. One of them said something, but Sesshoumaru didn't hear. He was overwhelmed suddenly by the scent of blood. Kagome's large eyes turned slowly to meet his. "Sesshoumaru," she murmured, her voice carrying to his ears.

The large man in front of her stepped back and Sesshoumaru saw the blade sliding out of Kagome's stomach, dripping blood onto the ground. Without the support of the blade, she fell to her knees, her eyes still wide with what the taiyoukai now recognized as unadulterated fear.

"No," he snarled. He rushed upon the man who had slain his friend, catching him around the throat and slamming him into the side of a hut. Thatching rained down on their heads. "Why did you do this?" he demanded, shaking the large man. Another of the men tried to approach, tried to take the taiyoukai by surprise. Sesshoumaru didn't even look as his poison whip lashed out and split the man in half.

The large man's eyes rolled back in his head. Sesshoumaru was crushing his windpipe too quickly. "Because of you," he managed to reply. "_Monster_."

Sesshoumaru's vision bled red and he squeezed until all of the life escaped. He dropped him, almost disappointed in the quick death. He should have drawn it out. Made him suffer as Kagome suffered. He became aware of another one of the men and turned on him, ready to take his revenge on him instead. He took perverse pleasure in the way the man's eyes widened, and the way he was scrambling away. It would take a second to catch him and lifetime for him to die.

"Stop it!" Midoriko cried. "You're wasting time! Get over here! She's still alive!"

The taiyoukai paused and turned to see Midoriko bending over the young miko. She was right. He would hunt down and slaughter every member of the gang that did this later and torture them until he felt he had received just revenge. Now, he must look to Kagome.

He knelt down beside the prone girl. She was bleeding out quickly. She had been pierced right below her rib cage, slicing through her liver, and possibly her stomach. He pressed a hand to her forehead and felt that she was sweating profusely and beginning to burn. "Kagome."

Her eyes opened slowly and she smiled. "Sesshoumaru. I think I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble again…"

"You always do," he replied. "When will you learn, girl?"

"Mmm… I don't know." She closed her eyes again and her head rolled to the side. "I'm sorry."

Sesshoumaru frowned, leaning close. "It was not you. Do not apologize."

"But I pulled Tetsusaiga out… made you angry. I didn't mean to…" She took a rattling breath. "And then, your arm… I felt so guilty for days. I'm so sorry… I just didn't know…"

The taiyoukai's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Kagome, I don't understand," he murmured.

"She's delirious. Don't pay attention," said Midoriko. She had been desperately ripping strips from her clothes and from Kagome's hem, pressing them onto the wound. She watched as Kagome's breaths slowed.

"This isn't going to work," she lamented, watching the blood stains spread. "The sword went straight through. She's bleeding too fast. She'll die before I can do anything."

"No. I will not allow that."

The priestess looked up at him and back down to her blood-soaked hands. "And how do you propose that we save her life?" she asked, her voice turning shrill. "Even if I bind the wound with magic, there's no way I can repair this damage!"

"But you can bind it," he murmured.

She nodded. "With some holy power, I can hold back the bleeding. It would stop her at death's door and freeze her there. But it doesn't allow her to heal. You can't bring back the dead," she said. "So what good would that do?"

He stood up and looked up at the stars, noting how far the moon was in its path across the sky. "It would do a lot of good. Do it and I will revive her."

"How?" She looked up at him with doubt plain on her face, but her hands were already glowing pink. He stepped back a few feet.

"I will take her to my father in the West," he said.

Midoriko frowned. "What could he possibly do?"

"She will die, no matter what you do?" he asked, avoiding her question for the moment.

She nodded, grief etching into her features as she looked down at Kagome. Her hands worked quickly and the blood flow was beginning to slow. "It will only hold for a couple days. If you get help before the time ends, she might live, but if you don't, she'll die in that very instant. There is no second chance after this. It's like a dam with water building up behind it, threatening to flood. Or in this case, it will be her blood. And she might die anyway, from the shock. She's already lost so much blood."

Sesshoumaru growled softly. "It will take me at least two and a half days to get to my father's home. I hope that it will be enough."

"She'll be dead by then," Midoriko cried, distressed. Her hands began to shake.

"He has a sword," he said, looking down at Kagome. Her breath was beginning to even out, although each one was rattling and harsh. "The sword gives back life and if I plead with him, he may use it on Kagome."

"Plead? Plead with your own father?"

Sesshoumaru sighed softly. "We do not get along well. But if I must plead for Kagome's life, I will. He does have an affinity for humans. Pleading might not be necessary."

Midoriko's hands steadied. "Can't you get there faster? Her death… it would be pointless. She told me that if she dies, she wants it to be a good death. This is not it."

"I could, if I went in my demonic form," he said, "but I would have no way of holding her. She would fall and we have no time to figure out a way to secure her. It would not shorten my trip by much. I am more agile in my present form."

The priestess nodded and sat back, her hands fading to their normal color, but still stained in blood. "She's ready then." She grabbed him by the sleeve as he bent to pick her up. "If she wakes up, she'll die. Keep her warm and don't shake her about. It will just make it worse."

He looked up into Midoriko's eyes and they suddenly came to an understanding. "When Kagome is well again," he said, "we will return here. You will wait?"

"Of course."

Sesshoumaru swept Kagome into his arms easily, tucking her as closely and gently to his body as possible. Midoriko wrapped the pelt, which had amazingly escaped much of the bloodstain on the ground, around Kagome's body. The young priestess immediately stopping trembling and rested against Sesshoumaru's shoulder with a soft sigh.

"Remember, the instant she wakes up, she will die," said Midoriko.

The taiyoukai nodded. "She will return alive and well." He looked up and noticed for the first time that the villagers surrounded them. They were all rubbing the sleep from their eyes, staring at the demon and the girl in his arms with a mixture of trepidation, disgust and hatred.

"They won't do anything to stop you," said the elder priestess. "They're afraid of you."

Sesshoumaru frowned and looked down at the corpses of the two men he had killed. Humans had one thing in common with demons – the need for vengeance. "If they try to stop me, or if they lay another hand on Kagome _ever_, no one will be left to bury the bodies in that graveyard," he snarled.

Midoriko closed her eyes briefly. "I'll be sure to tell them, Lord Sesshoumaru. And I'll wait. Go!"

The taiyoukai could only look at the girl in his arms before leaping into the sky.

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A/N: Poor Kagome. She's really not having the best time, is she? Well, some of you asked for Kagome and Sesshoumaru to get some time alone together, and here's their chance! Of course, she's _unconscious_. Haha. So LOTS of Sesshoumaru goodness in the next chapter.

The game that the children were playing is a real game and I just used the translation of the Japanese that I found online. It really does say "Kagome, Kagome". I've heard a lot of theories and supposedly genuine quotes about how Rumiko Takahashi came up with Kagome's name, but this game is one of the possible sources. It's not really a Japanese name though.

I either love this chapter or hate it. I'm not sure. Review and let me know what you think.


	7. Soliloquy

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 7: Soliloquy

She was so small. So fragile. He had to be careful, or he would crush her. Already his claws were tightening too much where he held her, on her upper arm and the outside of her thigh. She couldn't afford to lose any more blood and he could not prick her. But it was hard. He wanted to keep a good hold on her.

As if that would help.

He tried to keep his attention on his path and his speed. He was barely touching the grass as he ran, but he tried not to leap over anything but rivers. Vertical movement didn't help, he told himself. And it only jostled Kagome more than was necessary. And he could outmaneuver anything that crossed his path.

These were the things he thought about, the things he kept in his mind to keep from thinking about the dying girl in his arms. And yet, every minute or so, he would look down at her pale little face and realize that he was doing this all for her. And each time, he was struck by how strange that was.

Really, it was _very_ odd. He had only met her a few days before, after all. And despite her easy words and her ready laughter, Sesshoumaru was never so generous.

Oh, Sesshoumaru. You're too hard on yourself. You're generous to me. 

Yes, that's what she would say. She would be laughing, or at least smiling softly. She might reach out and touch the back of his hand, as she had been wont to do in the past couple of days. He had wondered what those touches meant. They had no explanation like the embarrassing embrace in the middle of the forest, when she had been crying on him. Humans were so emotional. But he didn't think they were quite so affectionate with taiyoukai as she seemed to be. He wondered if she would ever wake up again, so that he could ask her.

Of course she would wake up. How ridiculous, to think that he might fail. He did not fail. Not when it was this important. And this was important to him, although he wasn't quite certain _why_.

The truth of the matter was that he dealt out death, despite Kagome's naïve ideas about his generosity. (He suspected she wasn't really that naïve. Sometimes, he saw a hardness in her eyes that told him that she had seen just as much death as he had. It surprised him that she could still laugh and smile at all.) He was a ruthless killer. Perhaps not as proficient as his father, or the assassins they kept in the army, but he was getting there. His tutors had said that he had the makings of a great general and his father had been proud.

Bloodlust ran in the family. Aside from the story he had told to Kagome about his uncle and his madness-driven transformation, Sesshoumaru could think of at least seven close relatives that had died in battle offhand. That didn't count the many inuyoukai that had died from wounds later, after their men had dragged them out of the fray. It explained why he and his father were now the last left.

So why was he saving this little human girl? Why was he willing to run for two and a half days straight – something that would exhaust even him to the point of collapse – for her? He had no great hatred of humans, but no great love of them either. It did not make sense.

_See? I told you that you were generous. _The voice was back in his head, lilted with light teasing. Only Kagome had ever gotten away with that tone around him. _Maybe you're just a big softie at heart._

She had said that to him the night they had left the village, after he had carried her for hours on his back. He had growled at her for it, but she had simply smiled and laid down to go back to sleep. She hadn't pressed it any further and he had been grateful, because he could see that the other priestess had been watching them. Even then she was suspicious.

Midoriko had accused him of loving her, he remembered suddenly. The cry of Kagome's pain had distracted him from the accusation, but now he remembered how disgusted she looked. How she had berated him for ever believing that a miko like Kagome could love him, a beast.

Well, he _was_ a beast. He had even said so to Kagome. Which kind of brought him back to the original question of why he was doing all this for her. He refused to think of Midoriko's ridiculous allegations any longer. They had come to an agreement for the sake of Kagome's survival, but that did not mean that they were _friends _by any means.

He had only one friend and she was dying in his arms.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and he looked down at her, surprised that it had been his own mind that had told him that. Kagome had fallen silent in his head once again.

He almost tripped, stumbling for a few steps, and he paused to regain his breath. He had almost dropped her. She slept on though, as she would. Sesshoumaru took this moment to lean close to her, and put his nose against her throat. The scent of blood on her clothes (and his) had obscured her own scent, but with his nose pressed against her skin, he could smell it again. Ginger and oranges. He couldn't smell the magic that Midoriko had put on her. It was better that way. The scent of magic always distracted him.

Speaking of distractions... 

Right. He nodded and began to run again. He realized that he was talking to himself, but it was comforting to have her voice be the one that he heard in his mind. He liked her voice. Soft and yet capable of being terrifying. Coupled with her capability to purify him, of course. He would never be afraid of her if she were _normal_.

But he couldn't even imagine Kagome as normal. She defined 'strange' in his mind. The strange clothes, the strange accent, the strange words, the strange affection, the strange mannerisms, the strange friends, the strange attachment to a dry well all added up to what he knew about Kagome. And yet she was so very comforting and familiar.

A miko in the arms of a desperate taiyoukai. That was strange as well.

She laughed in his head. _Sesshoumaru! It's not so strange if you would just stop thinking about it as if we should be mortal enemies._

But we should be, he reasoned and she didn't answer.

She was his enemy, strictly speaking. Despite her crying, he knew that she would purify him if she was ever presented with its necessity. She would pick humans – her own kind – over him. He accepted that. If she started to kill youkai with indiscriminate ruthlessness, he would kill her. Even though the thought made his heart beat with panicky speed.

But not with a sword through the ribs. No. Midoriko was right about one thing – this was not a good death. No miko should die like this. There should be a fight. A chance for each side to prevail. Kagome should have the chance to die protecting something. She had the sort of heart and lack of sense to do that.

The man that he had killed had said that they had killed her because of him though. He could imagine what they thought about Kagome. She was wearing his furs. They had probably seen her with him. She was _strange_ to them, for the same reasons she was strange to him. She probably defended him before they shoved the blade through her body. She probably defended him even _after_ the blade had cut through her.

He was squeezing her too tight again. His eyes bled red for a moment, before he remembered himself. And he kept running.

_We'll talk about it later_, she whispered in his head. She sounded sad.

"Yes, we will," he said aloud.

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A day and a half passed and he was tiring. He had not paused. He tried not to think. Every once in awhile, he heard her soft whispers of encouragement. Otherwise, he managed not to think of her or anything else.

Except when he looked at her. Only to make sure that she was still breathing, of course. But every time he did (about four times an hour, give or take, he surmised), he remembered her at that exact moment in time on another day when she had been awake.

Morning and he remembered her gathering her things, tying back her hair and asking him if he was ready to go. She asked Midoriko too, but her eyes sparkled when she turned to him. Or at least, that's what he thought.

Noon and he remembered her bending over their midday meal, fussing much more than was necessary. He told her so and she would scowl at him for a moment. She always took care with her _other_ friends, she would tell him. She would do the same for him and Midoriko.

Afternoon and he remembered that his brisk pace would force her to practically run after him. Midoriko had longer legs, but he could recall slowing down for Kagome. Her face would be flushed and she would retie her hair and chat with him about the festivals her village held or a story about her friends. He remembered feeling angry at the end of many of these stories, which frequently included heroic saves by Inuyasha. The heroism was also frequently followed by a visit with another miko, who he now knew was named Kikyo. Sesshoumaru didn't like either of them.

Night and he remembered how she moved around the fire, unashamed of wearing her 'sleeping clothes' with a male nearby. Night time meant that it was his turn to tell the stories. It was only fair, she said. And he would, although they weren't nearly as descriptive or humorous as her tales. But she would smile or frown in the right places and the fire would nearly die before she realized it and put on more logs. And then she would yawn and fall asleep, with him watching over her.

Sesshoumaru began to wonder if these recollections, which could only have been gathered for a few days at the most, were the truth or if he was growing delirious. If he didn't stop and rest soon, he would fall. Kagome was growing heavy in his arms. Her scent was fading.

It was late afternoon when he finally listened to his body's demands. It would take at least until the next morning to get to his father's home, but he could not run any longer.

He slowed down and stopped on the shore of a small lake. It rippled softly in the waning sunlight and he sat down with Kagome in his lap. He would rest for a few minutes, take a few mouthfuls of water and then start again.

Once again, he pressed his nose into the bare skin of her throat. He could feel the blood pumping through her arteries there and smell her. It was a relief to feel her life going on, although she showed no signs of life aside from that. But then, Midoriko said that any sign of life would also mean her death so that was a good thing.

Sesshoumaru did not know much about Tenseiga. He wasn't sure how much time could elapse between death and resurrection. The need to get home pressed on his shoulders as he thought of this and he hesitantly laid Kagome aside on a soft bit of grass.

He stood and walked to the lakeside, perching on a rock that jutted out a bit farther than the others. Resting forward on one hand, he scooped the water with his other and drank. It was stale, but good enough. He was immune to any pestilence that might linger in the water, although he was glad that Midoriko had not said anything about giving Kagome water. He wasn't sure that it would be healthy for her. It was explain the conspicuous lack of villages around the perimeter of the lake.

The ripples from where he dipped his hand in were joined by others. Concentric circles, clashing in the water. Sesshoumaru looked up to the center of the lake. The water there was calm, but he stood and drew his sword. Kagome was still on the grass, silent and unmoving.

A great roar echoed through the clearing, across the water, and Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to turn and cover his sensitive ears. It was good that he didn't. Water dragons were dangerous enemies. He should not look away.

It was not the largest one he had ever seen, but it was the oldest. Its scales were covered in algae and the shells of mollusks, clinging for life as the dragon rose out of the water. The algae made it look sickly green, but water dragons were typically brown and Sesshoumaru could see its true color around its bright red eyes.

It roared again and Sesshoumaru snarled as he realized that its eyes were fixed upon Kagome. Of course, she was still carrying the shards. They were such a constant presence now that he had ceased to pay attention to them, but obviously the dragon had felt them for some time. Water dragons were notoriously lazy and it would have taken awhile for it to rouse itself, even for something of such power.

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. Fighting on water was such an irritation. And he could not move Kagome and fight the dragon as well. She had to be in sight or some other creature would attack her prone form.

And he could not run. As much as the idea sickened him, Sesshoumaru knew it would not do much good anyway. Lazy as they were to rise, a wakened water dragon would follow its prey to the ends of the earth. And they were quicker than they looked. He had to stand his ground.

The dragon finally spotted him and Sesshoumaru glared up at it. "I am your lord! This is my land! This is my lake! You are here only because I permit it! Now, retreat and I will not kill you!" he called. He knew it would do no good, but a dragon of this age and power deserved proper respect.

It only roared again. "Fine," spat Sesshoumaru, elegantly twisting his sword in his hands. "You will not be spared."

The dragon dove forward and Sesshoumaru leapt into the air, cutting the air with his sword and catching the beast across the top of its snout. It cried out in pain, hot blood dropping down into the lake and making the water turn to steam. Sesshoumaru sailed down, landing some distance from Kagome, and he smirked. This dragon was slow with age. This would be easy.

It was now fixed completely on the taiyoukai and Sesshoumaru nodded in satisfaction. One of them would die before Kagome was in danger again. He launched himself into the air again and the youkai met in the air. Sesshoumaru braced his sword against the teeth of the dragon, turning away from its foul breath and it tried to swallow him. A well-placed swipe of his claws, and the dragon recoiled once again, now bleeding from his mouth too.

Sesshoumaru landed in the shallow water and realized he was covered in blood again.

Can't stay clean, can you? 

He spared a glance for Kagome. She was still there, quiet and safe. The dragon would die before it could give her another thought.

Suddenly, its tail appeared and wrapped around him, squeezing with surprising speed. Sesshoumaru choked and tried to pull his throat away. His arms were pinned to his sides and his sword had fallen in his momentary lapse. Fool, he admonished himself.

But the taiyoukai had not lied to Kagome. He was a beast. Sesshoumaru did not hesitate and his eyes turned red as he opened his mouth and buried his canines into the flesh of the dragon's tail. His poisoned teeth began to hiss immediately against the scales, burning through them to the tender skin underneath.

The dragon bellowed in pain. Sesshoumaru's poison was corrosive upon contact and he did not let go until the coils loosened enough for him to fall back down to the ground.

He grabbed his sword again and looked up to see the dragon writhing. The end of its tail was disintegrating and bits were falling off, dropping into the water with sickening plops. Sesshoumaru smirked again and leapt into the air, landing on the dragon's head easily as it sulked over the loss of its tail.

It thrashed a bit as the taiyoukai buried his poisoned claws into its scalp, roaring as the poison began to eat away the flesh there as well. Sesshoumaru lifted his sword and drove it down into the dragon's skull, right between the eyes.

The dragon swayed for a moment, groaning as the life escaped its body. Sesshoumaru launched off, turning an easy somersault in the air, before the beast's head crashed down into the water. It came to rest in the shallows, sending large waves towards the shore as the taiyoukai came to rest on the same rock that he had started at.

The light in its red eyes dimmed and Sesshoumaru scooped a self-congratulatory handful of water into his mouth. He ignored the metallic taste of its blood and turned to Kagome's body. Enough wasting time, he thought, although he could not stop smirking.

But when he came to Kagome's side, the smirk dropped from his face altogether. He went to his knees and brought her body into his arms. New, fresh blood seeped into his clothing.

Her eyes were open but vacant. He swallowed thickly, trying to ignore how his pulse began to race. Sesshoumaru put his ear to her heart and heard nothing. He pressed his face to her throat and smelled only death. No ginger. No citrus. It was only blood. Her blood. Everywhere.

She was dead.

Sesshoumaru stared down into her face. She looked as if she was frozen in shock and he wanted to shake her. Stop it, Kagome, he wanted to say. The dragon is dead. You can stop pretending now.

"Kagome?" His voice was dry. It didn't sound like his voice. He tried again. "Kagome?"

She didn't answer. Not even in his head.

"No," he murmured, brushing back her hair from her face. He stopped when he realized that his hands were covered in her blood and he was only smearing it in her beautiful hair. "Kagome! Why did you wake up?"

It had barely been two days. No, it had been less, because she had been stabbed in the middle of the night and the sun was only setting just now. "Kagome, you cannot die now," he said, growing angry. "Not now!"

But she insisted upon being dead. He shook her. Carefully though, as to not hurt her too badly. "I cannot have missed it!" he snarled. "I was supposed to be there!"

He couldn't believe it. When he had taken her from Midoriko, he knew she would die. Midoriko had said she would. His father's sword didn't save the dying, after all. Only the dead. Kagome _had_ to die in order to live.

But he had missed it! That life, the life that made her so strange, so comforting, so _Kagome_, had escaped and he hadn't even been there. He felt cheated. And he felt something unusual in his chest, that he only recognized as guilt after several long minutes. He felt guilty that he hadn't been there for her.

It should have been him that she saw, he realized. If she had to die, she should have opened her eyes to see him, carrying her to safety and back to life. Instead, she had seen what? A bloody fight between him and the dragon. He wondered if she had seen him at all. Was her last sight that of a dragon screaming in pain and bleeding as it died pitifully?

"Why could you not wait?" he demanded. He tried to imagine her answer, but he could not even envision her smile. Not when he was looking at her dead, pale face with horror painted across it.

He wanted to kill the dragon again, for taking him away from her. He wanted to kill her for being such a fool to die at the exact moment that she would not gain any comfort. He wanted to kill himself for being overconfident and wasting time on a fight when he could have been with her.

Sesshoumaru brought her close again and buried his face in her throat, with his nose touching her hair. It was still like silk. "I apologize," he murmured. "You should not have died like this."

Instead of Kagome's sweet tones, it was Midoriko's incredulous voice that filled his ears. _You care for her, don't you? You love her._

The taiyoukai growled softly and lifted his head, refusing to listen. "Kagome, I am a fool," he muttered. "You are not dead. I am forgetting myself. You will live."

He closed her eyes and then lifted her into his arms once again. His pelt was sodden with her blood. _His_ clothes were sodden with her blood and the dragon's blood. He was walking carnage, but he set off anyway. His bloody footprints were all that he left behind.

Sesshoumaru ran and although his throat soon grew dry again, he did not stop. The lands were growing more familiar with each step and although she no longer replied, he began to tell Kagome stories of the places they passed by.

It was night time. It was his turn, after all.

"My father has a fortress there," he said, breathing heavily, but still nodding towards the battlements in the distance. "No one uses it. Our borders go far beyond this now. But you see, Kagome, how far he has come since his youth."

He leaned close to her ear. "I will expand his territory even farther one day. I will be greater than my father." He held her tightly. It didn't matter now if he pricked her with his claws, although he tried not to.

He felt delirious again as the moon rose in the sky. "My father does not have that mark," he said, nodding towards the tiny crescent in the sky. It was only a couple nights to the new moon. "I got it from my mother. You wonder why she left. I do not know. But I remember her standing on the roof, although my father said it was shameful that she was there. She took me up there too, when the moon was like this. She hated the full moon. She hated the new moon."

Sesshoumaru imagined that Kagome asked why, although he heard nothing. "The crescent moon has a dark side and a light side. It was the balance that she preferred. But a crescent has more dark than light. I never pointed that out to her."

He was talking nonsense now. He felt sick. But he continued.

"My father never got along with her. She was too cold. I am like her. That is why my father has no love for me." He shrugged. "I have no love for him. Only respect. That is enough for a son, I think. He is disappointed though."

By the time the sun rose in the east, behind him, he had told her many things. Most of them were haphazard retellings of old stories his mother had told him. Some were truths about his life. Some were outright lies. He couldn't tell, although the lying appalled him. He didn't lie.

The walls of his father's palace appeared on the horizon, light up by the morning sun. Ostentatious, he had once called this place, in his younger days. His father had simply sniffed and told him that he would have to make do until it burnt down or fell apart. It was the ancestral home, after all.

He didn't really think it was ostentatious though, and he told Kagome this. It was really quite simple and clean, although very large. It was built with heavy, dark lumber and that made it grow in size. It was very human in some ways, except that they frequently had to replace the rice paper walls when someone put their claws through them. That was the price of such classic beauty.

He heard the guards shouting before he realized that he was on his father's threshold. The gates had already been opened for him. The easily seen white hair of his family afforded that quick service.

Sesshoumaru made it as far as the outer courtyard before crumpling to his knees, curling over Kagome's body. "My father," he panted, when the guards came near. "Get my father."

They moved quickly, but when they tried to take Kagome's body from him, he snarled and his eyes flashed red, in one last burst of energy. They stepped away after that.

"Father!" he called. It had been at least a minute and his father must have known he was coming. The scent of blood alone must have been noticeable a league away. "Father!" he called again, ignoring how heavy Kagome had become. He held on anyway.

The doors opened and the guards bowed. Sesshoumaru did not. His father was still in his dressing gown and his hair was unbound. Maybe he had not realized that his son was coming after all. But his sharp eyes fixed upon Kagome immediately and he walked forward.

Sesshoumaru finally laid Kagome upon the ground and leaned forward on his hands, arching over her body. It was not a show of respect, only exhaustion. He would leave bloody handprints.

"Save her," he breathed.

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A/N: I know. It was an extremely short chapter. About two thirds of the length I normally write. But the chapter title is _Soliloquy_ for a reason. No one else talks. (Kagome and Midoriko's voices in his head are really Sesshoumaru talking to himself, as he fully realizes. Has anyone read Margaret Atwood's _Oryx and Crake_? It's a lot like that. You should read that book anyway – it's trippy, but great.) I just could not have that go on forever. It would have been tiring. But, I still love this chapter. I hope that it illuminated Sesshoumaru's emotions a bit. Obviously, full realization comes a bit later. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Review please!

By the way… because this chapter is quite short, I will **_try_** to post the next chapter much sooner than usual!


	8. Confessional

A/N: Okay, clearly I can never promise to get the next chapter up quickly – it only gives me a major headache and a frustrating case of writer's block. I've rarely had so much trouble with a chapter, but I hope this satisfies.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 8: Confessional

"I hate lying to them."

"You cannot tell them. They will not understand."

"I think they'll understand this more than the fact that Kagome hasn't come back yet," replied Inuyasha miserably. "Shippo isn't talking to me anymore."

"There was a time you would have rejoiced at that," said Kikyo coolly. She sat on the ground across the clearing from the hanyou. She was restringing her bow. It was hard work, but she wasn't even breaking a sweat. Inuyasha wondered if she _could_ sweat.

He shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. But it's not right. He should be a little brat, but he just sits around watching the well."

"There was a time that you did that."

He frowned at her memory. How often had she spied on him when he was waiting for Kagome's return? "That was before."

Kikyo finally looked up at him. "Before what, Inuyasha?"

"Before the jewel shattered again." He scowled down at his hands. "I just want to tell them. Kagome still has the shards. We'll never complete it without her. But that means Naraku can't complete it either."

The undead miko studied her companion for a moment. "And what will they say, Inuyasha? They will still need to fight Naraku. The monk's wind tunnel still threatens his life and any hopes that the demon slayer will ever be wed. The slayer has her vengeance, as we do. The completion of the jewel is just an added responsibility."

"I still think they should know," Inuyasha said softly.

Kikyo shrugged. "If you must tell them, then of course, you may. I just think it's premature. It's only been a week."

He looked up at her suddenly with a piercing gaze that she had never seen before. But it faded almost immediately. "Have you had any luck with trying to open the well again?" he asked sullenly.

"No," replied the miko. She had periodically gone to the well at night, when the others were asleep, on the pretense of finding a way for Inuyasha to get back to Kagome's time. She knew that Inuyasha sometimes watched her as she walked around the well and put on a little light show of small spells. He didn't know the difference and Kikyo simply confirmed the seal on the well. No miko of Kagome's caliber would ever be able to break through, she decided, unless _she_ wished it.

Inuyasha suddenly laughed. It was sad and hollow. "Shippo wants to make a thousand paper cranes. He wants to wish Kagome back."

"Let him. What's the harm?" asked Kikyo disinterestedly.

"There's a lot of harm," he muttered. He stood up and looked to the sky. It was turning orange with the sunset. Miroku would be returning from helping the men in the fields and Sango would be cooking dinner with Kaede. Kagome was the best cook, but he had never told her that. He hadn't told her a lot.

Kikyo watched as the hanyou fidgeted. "This is unwise, Inuyasha."

"It was unwise to keep it from them," he replied. He knew that they would be angry. Miroku would smack him with his monk's staff, leaving imprints of the rings on Inuyasha's back. Sango would fall silent after a few choice words about his cowardice. Shippo would cry. He might as well get it over with.

He moved through the trees, only vaguely registering the fact that Kikyo was following. Soul stealers began to float through the air, carrying the souls of dead women. He hated to watch it. He wondered how Kagome could live without her entire soul. And not for the first time, he wondered if that shared soul between Kikyo and her reincarnation had anything to do with their feelings towards him.

Feelings that had long ago faded, he thought. It was unfair for him to want Kagome to love him when he didn't love her, but it was painful. Her eyes didn't have the warmth they once had, when she was in love and when she had hope. After the jewel had shattered again, that look had disappeared.

Perhaps it was better that she was stuck in the future.

He sighed as the trees began to thin out. He was coming close to the Bone-Eater's Well. He wanted to check one last time before he went to them, although he knew he was only putting off the inevitable. The well wouldn't work.

Inuyasha paused and narrowed his eyes. "What's that?" he muttered, trying to see through the trees and into the clearing.

It looked like smoke, but he couldn't smell anything burning. He walked forward, more slowly this time. Kikyo was beginning to catch up behind him.

Coming around the final tree, his eyes widened. Black fog was pouring from the well, running out across the clearing and down the hill towards the village. As it plumed, he could hear the shouts of villagers down below. They had seen it too. Miroku and Sango would be here soon. Kaede too. And then the well would do the talking for him – there was no way Kagome was coming back through that ominous cloud.

"What is it?" he asked, knowing the miko was behind him.

"I am uncertain," came the reply. She sounded more surprised than he had ever heard her sound, even in life.

"I'm thinking it's not a good thing," he muttered.

Kikyo stepped forward and into his peripheral vision. "No, I assure you that it is not." She frowned. "I cannot tell if it's demonic or… I don't know, Inuyasha." She fell silent.

Inuyasha lowered his eyes. No, Kagome was not coming back. It was so strange, he mused silently, as he watched the smoke rolling across the grass. He seemed to remember a time where, despite Naraku, despite Sesshoumaru, despite the hundreds of youkai that constantly tried to kill them, he was happy. Kagome always could laugh. Shippo, Miroku and Sango could smile and he would be content to watch over them. His friends.

But the smoke filled him with dread and helplessness. Even the approaching voices of his friends sounded hollow and fearful. He wondered if they would still be his friends after seeing this, after hearing what he had concealed from them.

"I hope," he murmured, "that Kagome is okay."

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He blacked out for a moment, he realized. A second before, his father was standing on the steps looking surprised and suddenly, the great dog general was in front of him. Servants were running around, calling for things to revive the young lord. And Sesshoumaru was on the ground, his nose pressed into Kagome's breathless body. He sat back and wiped the blood from his face with his already bloody sleeve.

"I see you've been a bit sidetracked from your work," the elder taiyoukai remarked dryly. He studied the corpse for a moment before turning his golden eyes back to Sesshoumaru. "Where have you been? I was about to send out scouts looking for you."

"Save her and I will answer all of your questions."

Toga could see that his son was close to collapse. There was no focus to his eyes and his hands were shaking. If any questions were going to be answered, it would have to be soon. "Who is she?"

"Save her first," Sesshoumaru demanded, startling the servants that had started to come to his side. His muscles relaxed again and he slumped a bit, softening his voice. "She has been dead for hours."

"It might be too late already," Toga replied with a frown. Was that pain on his son's face? Pain of the heart?

"_Try_."

The taiyoukai looked at his son for one more moment, before stopping a servant. "Get Tenseiga. Immediately." He waited until the servant took off, watching as the others tried to get water past Sesshoumaru's dried lips. "What happened? Who is this girl? Where have you been?"

Despite the water and the warmth of the blankets being wrapped around the younger taiyoukai, he was still swaying with exhaustion. "Kagome," he said simply.

"Kagome," repeated Toga softly. "And who is she, Sesshoumaru? Have you… I have found a mate for you, my son. If this girl is your new consort…" He trailed off and frowned.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "She's Kagome. A friend." His eyes drooped and he shook himself, spraying the servants with sweat and blood. He was paler than usual. "I think I've fallen ill, Father."

"Very observant of you. Is that dragon blood I smell?" The elder taiyoukai watched as his son took several seconds to nod. "Dragons are known for carrying pestilence, Sesshoumaru. You should have known better."

"I apologize, Father."

"Well, now we know you're sick, if you're apologizing to me," Toga said with an exasperated sigh. "Take him inside. Get the healer. Clean him. Get rid of those clothes."

"Not the haori," breathed Sesshoumaru.

Toga arched an eyebrow, both at his son and the garment that he now realized that he did not recognize. But his sick son had his whims and there was no reason to deny him. "Very well, not the haori. Clean that."

The servants began to lift the feverish taiyoukai to his feet, but he resisted, throwing them off and baring his teeth. "I can't go until Kagome…" He suddenly exhaled, his eyes rolling back a bit, and collapsed.

"He should be less trouble now," said Toga with a grim smile. "Take him to his room."

The servants shuffled off, suspending Sesshoumaru's unconscious body between them, and leaving the lord of the castle alone with the dead girl. Toga crouched over her and peeled back the blood-sodden pelt that was wrapped around her. She had bled out completely, he realized, when he saw the wound. No human could have survived this for more than a few minutes, but Sesshoumaru looked like he had run for days. Curious, the lord mused.

There was a faint whiff of magic around her too. Holy magic, he recognized, drawing back a bit. Either this girl was a miko, or a miko had worked her magic on the body. Why was Sesshoumaru consorting with a priestess?

He sighed. It was probably a good thing he planned to resurrect this human girl, if he could. Sesshoumaru would be no help answering these questions for some time. Perhaps she could answer them.

Kagome. What an interesting name. And if Sesshoumaru was endeared enough to her to bring a dead body all this way, Toga could imagine that she would have to be quite interesting herself too.

The servant who he had dispatched returned, panting and with Tenseiga in his hand. Toga turned and wrapped his claws around the sheath and his eyes widened as it immediately began to pulsate with urgency. Never had it burned so hotly in his hand.

"Well, is _very _interesting already," he murmured, unsheathing the blade with a hiss of metal. "We're getting off to a marvelous start, my dear girl."

He looked and saw that the pallbearer demons were nearly finished with their jobs. The orb of her soul was already in their hands as they turned to look fearfully up at the taiyoukai. Another minute and he would have been too late. He grinned at them. He was always pleased to cheat death.

Tenseiga fell with a glowing trail of light. The imps shattered with silent cries and the orb fell back to Kagome's body. Toga watched as it reentered her flesh and noticed that the spherical light was not complete. It looked like it was broken, like a piece was missing. But too soon, it sank into her body and Toga could not be sure of what he saw.

Her eyes fluttered open as he sheathed Tenseiga. He dismissed the servant with a gesture and leaned over the girl. She looked dazed and dirty, but otherwise in perfect health. "Good morning, Kagome. I'm Lord Toga. You and I have a _lot_ to talk about."

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"What happened then?" she asked, laughing so hard that her wine was threatening to spill.

"My eight-year-old boy was facing down one of the cruelest, most powerful demons of the land. What do you think he did?" Toga laughed. "He insulted him right back."

Kagome covered her face. "Oh, no! What did he say?"

"If I recall correctly, something indecent about the lord's mother." The taiyoukai smiled easily and refilled his glass. "I had to punish him for it later, of course. A young boy shouldn't be saying such things. But not too harshly, because it was the best damn time I had had in a long time."

"Well, Sesshoumaru didn't even start it," reasoned the girl with a broad smile.

Toga shook his head. "No, he didn't. I couldn't believe the lord would even waste his breath insulting a child like that, but then, maybe it was a sign of the future."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome, setting down her glass. She felt warm and lightheaded, although she wasn't sure if that was from the food or the drink.

"Sesshoumaru killed him in battle many years later," replied Toga with a shrug.

"Kami…"

The taiyoukai chuckled. "I think that's what he said." He looked up as the servants came in with another tray. "Would you like some oshiruko?" he asked.

Kagome blinked and looked at the rice cake and bean soup placed in front of her. "Oh. Yes, thank you," she said, starting in on the sweet dessert. "May I ask you a question about Sesshoumaru?"

"Of course," replied the demon lord, his golden eyes flickering up for a moment.

"Has he killed many people?"

Toga paused. "People as in humans?"

"Yes. Well, demons too." She lowered her eyes as her host's face formed a slight frown.

"When Sesshoumaru was young, his mother left us. Has he told you that?" He watched as the girl nodded once in silence. "I don't suppose he's been very forthcoming about the circumstances, has he?"

Kagome shrugged a shoulder. "He said that you were mates because of a political alliance. Once he could take care of himself, his mother left. He didn't seem to want to talk about it very much."

The elder dog demon raised an eyebrow. "That's far more than he usually tells anyone. Of course, the fact that you're still alive after asking is a miracle in itself." He allowed himself a small smile as her eyes widened. "Sesshoumaru was able to take care of himself, but he was still very young. His mother's departure was disruptive to these lands, when I was still trying to secure them. Other demon lords tried to take advantage of what they thought was a vulnerable moment. I was shorthanded."

Kagome's face fell. "Sesshoumaru fought for you," she whispered.

"Unfortunately, it was necessary. He was good enough and old enough, but barely. But more importantly, I needed to prove to my troops that the West wasn't about to fall. Sesshoumaru is my only heir. He needed to be there, show them that although the Lady of the West had left, my son was still with us."

"How old was he?"

Toga sighed. "In human age? He was thirteen or fourteen years old. In actual years, he was about a century old." He frowned at her stricken expression. "You might think I'm a monster for putting my son through that, but it was necessary. If we had lost those wars, he would have been taken as a slave for one of my enemies. Or worse." He let the word hang in the air, allowing Kagome to imagine the alternative to slavery. "So to answer your question, yes, he has killed many creatures over the years."

"I understand, Lord Toga," she said finally. "You had to make a difficult choice. And you probably made the right one. It's just… I wonder how he's survived at all."

"Sesshoumaru is stronger than anyone gives him credit for. Even me," replied Toga, getting back to his dessert. "So why did you want to know?"

Kagome frowned slightly. "When you revived me, you said that I would have trouble remembering my death." She shuddered and looked at the taiyoukai at the other end of the table. He gave her the same expectant look that he had given her upon her awakening that morning. She still felt strange thinking of herself as dead, but the coldness in her body told her that something unnatural had happened to her. "And I still don't remember a lot of it, but I have this vision of Sesshoumaru killing a man. He was squeezing his throat. I saw the life escape from his body."

"And that disturbs you," murmured Toga.

"Well, shouldn't it? As a miko, I should preserve life." She smiled softly. "But he was protecting me. Or at least, avenging me. That man had put a sword through me, and Sesshoumaru killed him for it. I have blood on my hands."

"The only one that had blood on his hands was the one that killed you," said the inuyoukai firmly. "Vengeance can be more trouble than it's worth, but my son was right to seek it."

Kagome nodded. "I know. That's the thing. I don't think he did wrong either. Actually, I don't think I've ever felt so safe as I did at that moment." Her smile broadened. "I knew that I would be alright, because he was there."

"I am glad to hear you have such faith in my son," said the taiyoukai.

The girl blushed under the gaze of Sesshoumaru's father. He looked very much like his son, actually. It was hard to think of them as father and son instead of brothers. There were differences, such as Toga's straighter nose and his larger eyes and the missing crescent upon his forehead, but they were small differences that only served to tell the world that they were not actually twins. And, of course, their personalities were sharp contrasts. But, kami! They even dressed alike. "Well… I trust him. That's all."

"Hmm. Of course," said Toga with a small smirk.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" she asked quickly, trying to divert Toga's attention.

The dog demon shrugged. "He's ill. He exhausted himself far beyond even our capacities, and I don't think that dip in dragon blood did him any good. I assure you, you will be informed as soon as he does wake up."

"He was having nightmares when I checked on him this afternoon," said Kagome softly. "He was feverish."

"Inuyoukai have exceedingly good health. He'll be fine," replied Toga, masking his own concern. The truth was that Sesshoumaru hadn't had a nightmare since he was child. When he had gone to check on his son, the younger dog demon was calling out for the girl, for his mother and for the blood of everyone who had done him a disservice, living or dead. It was not comforting.

"Even so, I think I'll go and check on him again," she said, getting up from the table. She bowed. "Thank you for dinner and your hospitality. I know you must be very busy, Lord Toga, and you took much of your time today to cater to my needs."

He shook his head. "It was nothing, my dear. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she answered. She walked out with her new silk kimono trailing after her.

She really did look much better after a bath and a fresh change of clothes, mused the taiyoukai, as he finished up his dessert. And although Kagome acted quite timid, he could see the fire in her eyes. He understood perfectly why his son was so drawn to her.

Toga stretched and sighed. He was getting old, he decided. There was a time that the late hour of the night wouldn't have fazed him, but he could barely stay awake past dark these days. The paperwork piling up in his office would have to wait until tomorrow.

As the servants came in to clear the table, the taiyoukai wandered out and down the hall towards his rooms. Tomorrow would be a long day. The messenger from Ryukotsusei was supposed to arrive in early afternoon with the dowry proposal. Toga had so hoped that Touran and the panther demons would be amenable to his terms, but her father had sent a proposal that was close to insulting. Ryukotsusei wasn't exactly letting his daughter go with his blessings either, but it was better than Touran's father. Not that it mattered. Sesshoumaru wouldn't care particularly if he were mated to a dragon youkai rather than a panther youkai.

Or would he?

Kagome's blush came to Toga's mind and the taiyoukai smiled. Yes, the young miko certainly had feelings for his son. And from the display Sesshoumaru had put on that morning, he was sure those feelings were returned. But Toga doubted that his son would ever be so humble as to admit it, much less act upon it. Sesshoumaru's ideas of being a respectable son included mating another youkai, not a human miko.

The demon lord only hoped that Kagome realized that as well. He would be very displeased if his son hurt the young girl in any way.

He turned to go down the hallway to his rooms, a path that took him past both Sesshoumaru and Kagome's rooms, and he paused and sniffed the air. Yes, he confirmed silently. Kagome was most definitely _not_ in her own room.

He approached his son's room and noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Although he usually afforded his son his privacy, the elder taiyoukai stepped over to the door and looked in.

They were asleep. Sesshoumaru's sickly breathing was thick and harsh in the large room, and practically thunderous compared to Kagome's quiet sighs. She was still fully clothed and she was curled up on the edge of the large futon. If Sesshoumaru had reached out in his sleep, he could wrap his arms around the girl, but for the moment, they weren't touching. For the first time that day, Toga noticed the exhaustion lining her face.

If the healer hadn't planned on checking on the young dog demon every couple hours, Toga would have left the girl in his son's bed until dawn. But as it was, it would not do to start unnecessary rumors and speculation, especially with the planning of Sesshoumaru's mating going on.

The demon lord slid the door open enough for him to step through and went to his son's bedside. The smell of fever hung heavy in the room. "Kagome," he murmured. "Wake up."

"No."

Toga almost jumped and his eyes grew wide as they moved to his son. "I thought you were asleep. How are you feeling?"

Sesshoumaru opened his own golden eyes, and although they were dulled by sickness, they still glowed in the darkness. "I am fine," he stated simply. It seemed to need all his effort to say the three words.

His father went around the foot of the bed and placed a hand on the younger inuyoukai's forehead. "You're still too warm. I'll fetch the healer."

"No. She will be of no use. I will be well by morning," he said.

"I can't leave the girl here," said Toga. "This is improper."

"Let it be improper then," replied his son. "I want her here."

The elder taiyoukai frowned. "Sesshoumaru, do you not remember? You will be engaged to a mate soon. What will Ryukotsusei say if rumors of his son-in-law with another female in his bed reach him?" The frown deepened as he folded his arms across his chest. "Exactly what do you feel for this girl?"

Sesshoumaru scoffed and turned his head to look at the girl sleeping silently beside him. "You misunderstand. I simply want to protect her. I cannot do that in this condition if she is away from me."

"She's been just fine all afternoon, Sesshoumaru. And 'this condition', as you say, would limit to you watching as someone killed her in her sleep, if they so chose. You can't do anything for her in this state." He sighed. "Tell your father the truth, Sesshoumaru. I've spent the day with this girl. She's lovely, intelligent, _powerful_. I would not blame you if you love her, but I must know now. The messenger from Ryukotsusei comes tomorrow."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "I will take the mate you choose for me, Father."

"I will not choose on my own if you have someone in mind," replied Toga. "I was only doing this on your behalf because you showed no interest in taking part. But I will not bind you to a loveless mating as my father did to me. Now, do you want Kagome?"

"You would allow me to take a human as my mate?" asked the younger inuyoukai.

"You are my son. I only want your happiness."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a brief moment. "You must think of your subjects, Father. They would turn on us. Other territories would attack. We would be perceived as weak," he said softly.

"They did once before, when your mother left, and we were able to stand up to them then. And I do not think our subjects would object once they saw this girl's power. It exudes off of her in waves." He paused and looked at the miko. "I actually feel small in comparison to her."

"She would be a force on the battlefield," agreed the younger demon and then he shook his head. "But she is a miko. She has no place on a battlefield. Or with demons. I'm taking her back to her friends, as soon as I am able."

"What's the hurry?" asked the elder one. "I think you underestimate her."

"Never," replied Sesshoumaru. "But have you not felt that other power that comes from her? From the vial she carries around her neck?"

Toga nodded. That had been the first thing he had asked about upon her resurrection. "She would say nothing about it, except that it was safe as long as it was outside a demon's hands. I must live in ignorance of what's going on in my own house," he said, betraying only some of the irritation he felt about that.

"She will not tell me much about it either," said Sesshoumaru, "but it is important. And she must return to her friends."

"She loves you, Sesshoumaru."

The younger demon fell silent for many long moments. "I think," he began, "that I remind her of someone she used to love."

"No. It's you. You should see her eyes when she speaks of you, my son," said Toga. "Do you not love her? Did you really run all that way and nearly die of exhaustion for someone you don't love?"

"No, I do _not_ love her," said Sesshoumaru emphatically, sending him into a short fit of hacking coughs. When they subsided, he rested against his pillow again.

"You're lying to yourself," said Toga with ice in his voice. "I would blame your mother, except that it is dishonorable to berate someone that cannot defend herself. I wish that I had taken a more active role in your upbringing, Sesshoumaru. I do not believe that we would disagree so much if I had."

Sesshoumaru scowled. "You want me to be like you, then."

"It might be an improvement to your emotional capacities, certainly," said Toga.

His son turned to look at Kagome once again. She was still sleeping soundly, despite their rising voices. He wondered how she could manage it after having the deepest sleep possible just the night before. "Is that why you're pressing me with such ridiculous ideas, Father?" he asked. "You want me to be like you. You want our ideas about the Western Lands to agree. You want me to do what is _proper_, instead of what is prudent for Kagome's protection. You want me to take to human women as you do."

The last words fell like thunder. Toga straightened up, his brow creasing with anger. "You are never to speak to your father so freely again," he growled. "What I do and who I keep company with is my own affair. I will not have my _son_ admonish me for it. I know that you are nothing like me and I accept that, Sesshoumaru. I think I accept that better than most fathers would. I accept that my subjects call you cold, merciless and hateful. But if you lie next to this woman tonight and tell yourself that she is anything but the most precious creature in the world to you, you are not just hateful, you are a fool."

He stalked towards the door and slid it open, letting in a column of soft light from the oil lamps in the corridor. "Get well, my son," he said, suddenly sounding defeated. "Tomorrow, I will accept Ryukotsusei's proposal on your behalf. Now, sleep."

Toga stepped out and closed the door behind him, shutting his son into darkness.

But Sesshoumaru's eyes were sensitive and he could still make out the form of the girl lying quietly beside him. The demon inched over and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling silk beneath his fingers. She was still wearing the kimono she had worn at dinner. He could smell the aroma of food mixing with her unique scent. Ginger and oranges.

She turned a little and he lifted his hand, watching as the vial of the jewel shards fell out of the folds of her kimono. Reflexively, she curled her legs up and wrapped her fingers around the vial, moving her lips silently.

His father was right, Sesshoumaru thought with no small measure of irritation. Kagome was lovely, intelligent and powerful. But Midoriko was right too and that sent a bigger pain through his heart and mind.

_What makes you think that a miko like her would ever want a beast such as you? You're filth compared to her. Your soul is so weighed down by blood that you should not even be able to touch her! You are only here because her heart is kinder than any miko's that I have ever encountered. She must pity you. It is the only explanation._

He was filth compared to a miko. Everybody was. That was probably why most miko lived and died alone.

But she was wrong too, and Sesshoumaru was thankful for that. He rested his head on Kagome's pillow, putting his nose in her fragrant hair. His arm wrapped around her waist and the thick obi that was there. She sighed softly and relaxed. He _could_ touch her. He could.

Sesshoumaru realized that he was still ill and probably still delirious. He never would have challenged his father like that if he weren't. And Kagome would not be in his arms. He wouldn't be enjoying it this much.

He would speak with his father tomorrow, he decided. He would apologize, as a good son should.

As for Kagome, perhaps he would enjoy his delirium a little more, he thought. He pulled her tightly to his chest and brought his lips to her ear. "You are the most precious creature in the world to me, Kagome. I am no fool."

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A/N: Although I'm not completely happy with this chapter, I had so much fun with a feverish Sesshoumaru. If you think that he's going to be all snuggles and bunnies from now on, you obviously don't read many of my stories. Haha. Okay, so I finally got through this, which means you finally get to review a new chapter! Yes, go my little pretties!


	9. On A Son's Behalf

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I had another round of law school exams. They just kill all of your brain cells. Really, I had problems forming simple sentences. Y'alls' reviews really helped me through these hellish days. BUT… you guys have got to stop being so smart! One of you guessed what was happening in this chapter with frightening accuracy. And another (I'm not saying who/when they guessed this) got a MAJOR plot point of future chapters. I will definitely give props to that person later. (Seriously, I have it noted in my outline – "Give kudos to ".) Haha. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! I hope I still have a few surprises in store for you.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 9: On a Son's Behalf

She woke up slowly, dragged from her dreams of jewel shards, blue silk and silver furs. The room was light with morning sun and she stretched languidly before realizing that this was her room. Her heart skipped a beat. When did she come to her room? The last thing she could remember was lying beside Sesshoumaru and the way her presence seemed to calm his feverish mutterings. She had been pretty comfortable herself.

Someone must have found her, she realized, and carried her back to her own bed. She was still dressed in the kimono she had worn to dinner, and now it was creased and wrinkled where she had lain on it. It was probably Toga himself who had carried her back, or maybe one of the guards on his lord's command. How embarrassing.

Getting up, Kagome shed the lovely but crumpled kimono and draped it across the foot of her bed. The maids would not be pleased, but some of the more serious folds were relaxing already. To be fairer to them, she selected a spring green cotton kimono from the wardrobe, which would not crease so easily as silk. She would have preferred something more casual, but she was aware that she was in a lord's castle and she must dress as a proper guest.

She tried to make herself presentable before she left the room barefooted and crossed to Sesshoumaru's door, which was open. Inside, the healer and her staff were fussing over their patient, trying to make him drink some soup that, in all truth, looked and smelled ghastly. "You're awake," she exclaimed happily, making everyone look at her.

"Good morning," greeted the young taiyoukai with a nod. His voice was raw and his eyes were red, but at least he was awake.

"Good morning. Are you feeling better? Has your fever gone down?"

"I am and it has." He gestured at the soup in front of him. "Unless they keep forcing this down my throat. I will be sick again if they insist upon it."

Kagome smiled as the healer scowled at her patient. "I'm sure there's lots of good stuff in there to make a demon lord feel good."

"It tastes like piss."

"Sesshoumaru!" Her eyes widened and she turned away as the healer shot her a nasty glare for the amusement in her voice. "That's so rude!"

"I simply tell the truth." He shoved the bowl away from him, making one of the servants dive for it before it splattered everywhere on the floor.

Kagome shook her head. "You're being a petulant child," she admonished, still laughing. She was vaguely aware that the other demons in the room had turned to stare at her, but Sesshoumaru did not seem to mind her scolding.

"I ask for edible food. That's all." He leaned back into his pillows as the servants cleared up and left the room. Their conversation would be repeated word for word throughout the entire castle before lunch, but Sesshoumaru hardly cared. Kagome was going to be the source of constant wonder, especially considering their colorful arrival. "I must get out of this room. Do you wish to keep me company?"

"Hmm. Alright. How about a walk in the gardens?" she asked. "It's a little cold though."

"The gardens bore me, but it is outside. Since I do not feel well enough for training quite yet, I suppose that is all the fresh air I will have today. So, we will go to the gardens."

"The healer said it was okay?"

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. "I will not remain here when I feel perfectly fine."

"Sesshoumaru, I won't contribute to your delinquency," she said, shaking her head. "How about just walking around the castle a bit instead?"

"I need air," he insisted. He gave her an even look. "I could go without you."

"No," replied Kagome quickly. "I'll go. Just to make sure you behave yourself. I guess a walk can't do too much harm. Just don't let the healer hear about it. I don't want to hear any stories about how the little human girl got the demon lord sick_ again_."

Sesshoumaru smirked. He knew she would not refuse him. "They forget what being a true youkai is like. I do not have the frailties of humans." He lifted an eyebrow. "_You_ would have died from this illness and it does not faze me."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Now I know you're feeling better. You're being insulting."

He shrugged. "I am neither unconscious nor exhausted beyond the point of collapse. And I am not even delirious."

The girl cracked a smile. "Lord Toga said you were delirious when you got here and you said all sorts of things. Did you really ask him to save me? That's very sweet."

Sesshoumaru considered her for a moment, frowning. "I am pleased that you are alive, Kagome. If I did not care, I would not have carried you so far."

"It's nice to feel wanted," she replied with a shy grin. Color began to creep up her neck as he looked at her.

They stared at one another for a second, inexplicably uneasy all of a sudden. "If you expect me to dress, I would wait outside if I were you," murmured Sesshoumaru finally, breaking the silence.

Kagome blinked. "Oh. Right. Sorry." She stepped out, leaning against one of the support beams and pressing the heels of hands into her cheeks. Her skin was hot and she wasn't entirely sure why. Although it was nice to hear that he was happy that she lived. Yes, that was very nice to hear.

She heard rustling and the creak of wood. She pressed her ear against the door when Sesshoumaru sighed. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," came the labored reply, followed by a bump and soft swear.

Kagome frowned. "Do you need help? I mean… I could call someone," she suggested.

"_No_," he replied shortly.

He must take hours to dress with only one arm, she thought dryly. Stubborn jerk.

Sesshoumaru emerged a few minutes later, slightly breathless but wrapped in enough clothes to keep him warm until February. "You become painfully aware of how many layers you have to put on when you're sick," he said, when Kagome arched an eyebrow.

"I don't know about this," she replied. She lifted a hand to his head. "You're clammy already. You'll make yourself sick again."

"I simply need air."

Kagome sighed. "Why don't I believe you?" she muttered.

He looked down the corridor. "Do you know where my father is?"

Kagome shook her head. "No idea. Haven't seen him this morning. And you're trying to change the subject. What about your health?"

"I should find him. I need to speak with him."

The girl sighed and gave up. Sesshoumaru would just go without her anyway if she refused. "He'll find you. I'm sure the servants told him you were awake. He'll come when he's not busy. He put off a lot of work yesterday because of us."

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. "I suppose. Very well then. Let us go to the dreadful bore that is the garden."

She smiled. "You're supposed to be in a good mood if you're really not sick."

"Who said that I was not in a good mood?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Of course. Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. Your father said you wouldn't have been so sick if you hadn't fought that dragon though. Are you always so messy when killing a dragon?"

He scoffed lightly. "I was saving your life," he said, but then paused. "I was trying to."

Her light-hearted smile faded. "You did save my life. You were wonderful."

"That was the moment you died," he said flatly. His expression was almost completely blank, except for the slight downward turn of his mouth.

Kagome spun around, planting herself in front of him and forcing him to stop. She slid her arms around his waist and rested her head upon his chest. She could feel the warmth of his body through the layers of cloth. "I know," she murmured. "I remember sort of. Not a lot. Just patches of memories here and there. But I remember you fighting that dragon. I remember the feeling of the life being squeezed out of me. But you _did_ save me. I died for a little while, true, but only you could have made sure that that wasn't permanent." She pulled away and smiled up at him. "I owe you one."

She released him, but took his hand as he nodded. "I hope that we are never in a situation where you must pay me back," he said.

"Oh, but this is me, we're talking about. I kind of attract trouble," she laughed, starting on their walk again, her hand still entwined with his. For some reason, she did not want to be far from him and touching was even better. His deadly claws brushed against her skin.

"Kind of?" he repeated.

"Shut up," she laughed. They came to the door and she slid it open, shivering at the draft that whipped in. "Brrr. Winter's definitely coming."

"It is not cold," Sesshoumaru murmured, pushing past her and releasing her hand. He missed its warmth immediately, but he simply could not touch her for long. He did not see her faint frown.

"Jerk. Is too." She closed the door and jogged after him. "You shouldn't go so fast. Take it easy. Your father won't be happy if you get sick again."

She was right, but Sesshoumaru just shrugged. "My father finds fault with many things that I do, regardless of the consequences," he said.

Oh boy, Kagome thought. There it was again – that odd love-hate relationship that both of the sons of the Inutaisho seemed to have with their father. What exactly was _with _them? "I think your father is perfectly charming," she said casually.

Sesshoumaru suddenly felt the pain he had experienced upon waking up alone in bed. Kagome had been there, he knew. Her sweet scent was wrapped up in his sheets. But his father's scent had been there too and a flare of irritation burned in the young taiyoukai's chest. "Most of your kind do."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean? What's 'my kind'?"

"You are female. And human. Those are both things that my father is very fond of."

Kagome blinked. That wasn't exactly a revelation. Inuyasha's mother had been human, so she had figured that Toga at least had a passing tolerance for the race in general. But the coldness in Sesshoumaru's voice had startled her. "He's a nice guy, Sesshoumaru. And your mother isn't around, so what's the harm in him, um, trying to find another mate?"

"I sincerely doubt that he is trying to find a new mate," replied the young dog demon. "He enjoys the attention he receives from your kind. As I'm sure you noticed."

"Hey, you know, I'm just his guest here. I'm not going to judge who he, um… passes time with."

"You misunderstand. I want to protect you." He frowned slightly. "As you said, he is charming."

Her eyes widened again. "Hold on. You think that I would actually sleep with _your father_? Sesshoumaru!" She smacked him on the arm, none too lightly. "That's disgusting. I'm your friend and he must be… what? Six hundred years old?"

"Over a thousand."

"That's a bit too old, even if he doesn't look a day over four hundred. What is _wrong_ with you?" Sesshoumaru turned, but she caught him by the arm. He was still too sick to resist much. "Um, no, you don't get to leave like that. Tell me what in hell possessed you to think those things."

"You were in my bed last night," he said softly.

Her hand dropped away from him. "Oh. I didn't… I didn't think you were awake." She bit her lip and looked at his rather miserable expression. "But I don't see what being in your bed – fully clothed, I might add – has to do with your father."

"He came shortly after you did." He lifted a hand to his head. "I don't remember all of it. I had a fever. But he wanted to take you away. I fell asleep and in the morning, you were gone."

"That doesn't mean anything _happened_. I think he just carried me to bed. _Still_ fully clothed. I don't think you would want me caught in your bed. I'm sure that's all he was thinking of."

He nodded. "Yes. Of course." He let out a rattling breath.

"Sesshoumaru, are you feeling okay?" She moved close to him and pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're warm again. You shouldn't have gotten so worked up. You have to go back inside and get to bed."

"I'm fine."

Kagome clucked her tongue. "You're baring your soul to me, here. This definitely falls under 'unusual Sesshoumaru behavior'. You're going back to bed." She took him by the arm and felt how his weight sat heavily on her shoulder.

"I must apologize."

She shook her head. "You've told me several times not to apologize to you. You don't have to apologize to me. Come on."

He pushed back from her support. "No, I simply need to sit down."

Kagome sighed, but led him over to a small stone bench, barely big enough for the two of them. "Alright, only because I definitely can't _carry_ you. But if my toes start to freeze or if you start to cough or anything else takes a turn for the worse, we're going right back inside. I've been dead enough for a lifetime."

The taiyoukai put his elbows on his knees and hung his head. His hair was so long that it nearly touched the ground. He hadn't tied it into his customary braid, she realized. It almost looked strange to her now. The unbound silver locks spilled over his shoulders and around his face, hiding it from view for a moment. He impatiently pushed it back behind his ears.

"I'll braid it for you, if you want," she suggested.

"I never tie up my hair when I'm home," he replied. His breathing was not as labored but his voice still shook.

Kagome frowned for a moment. "Why?"

"It causes confusion."

"Because your father braids his hair?"

Sesshoumaru sighed softly. "Yes."

Ah, she thought. That's why he would stop braiding his hair completely in the future. She was willing to bet money that he was often confused for Toga, even years after his death. It must have been irritating, to be constantly compared with the great demon lord. He so obviously tried to imitate his father's power, but to have everyone judge any failure in that imitation? How soul-shattering.

"Alright. I'll leave it," she said. But she gave into her desire to thread the silver hair through her fingers anyway and reached for him, pulling through the strands as easily as silk. It seemed to calm him and so she continued for a while before speaking again. "Why does the thought of your father with a human bother you so much?" she asked softly.

"It does not bother me personally. But it would bother many of our subjects," he murmured as his eyes slid shut. He forgot his earlier decision to not let her touch him. Her little fingers worked through his hair, brushing against his neck and over the points of his ears. He had to suppress a shudder. "Any child of a human and a demon would be a hanyou."

"So?"

He turned slightly. "Even I realize the weaknesses of a hanyou child."

Her fingers paused. "My best friend is a hanyou. He's not weak."

"I did not mean a weakness in physical or mental capacity. I simply…" He paused and shook his head. Kagome's still fingers scratched against his scalp as he moved. "I do not know what I meant."

"You're prejudiced," she whispered. "Even now, you're prejudiced."

He frowned at her words. "I do not see why it should matter that I am prejudiced or not." He looked down. "I will never have a hanyou."

Her hand dropped away. "What if… what if you fall in love with a human woman? Would you deny her children? Take a concubine?"

Sesshoumaru remembered the comforting warmth of Kagome's body against his. He remembered the words he whispered to her and how she curled towards him. He remembered his father offering to give consent for him to mate with Kagome. And how he turned it down. But he would have given her children, hanyou or not. "It does not matter. My father is arranging my mating as we speak."

Kagome's skin turned ashen. "I didn't know that." She looked at him and his vacant, down-turned eyes. "What are you going to do?"

He didn't answer her for a few moments. "I will abide by my father's choice," he muttered.

"But don't you have any say in it? Isn't it your choice too?"

And suddenly, he felt the burn of anger in his body. Angry at his father. Angry at his life. Angry at _her_. How could she not see? Of course he didn't have a choice! This was what a good leader did – he accepted what was best for his subjects, even if it was painful for him. Even if the only thing he wanted was to kiss her and tell her that she was his choice, he wouldn't. There was no choice. The West would fall if its lord's son took a human mate. He truly believed that. And he was still so close to taking her anyway.

But it wouldn't have been a problem, he reasoned furiously, if she hadn't ensnared him into her journey. Why hadn't she just left him alone? Why couldn't she have left his life as fast as she had come into it? He hated the fact that her simple presence had turned this simple matter into one rife with doubt and pain. He almost hated her.

"What does it matter?" he asked sharply, turning his golden eyes onto her. His sudden movement made his vision swim, but he ignored it.

Kagome drew back at his tone. "It matters," she said, recovering quickly, "because this female will be your mate for life. I don't believe that you don't care."

"Why should I care? This is not for love. It is for power alone," he snapped.

"It doesn't have to be. You shouldn't rush. You should take your time and make your own decisions," she insisted.

Make his own decisions! He almost gave a cold laugh, but instead narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that I would decide upon you?" he snarled.

The air escaped from her lungs and for the longest time, she couldn't breathe in again. When she did, it was greedy, harsh breath. "No," she said. "No."

Sesshoumaru felt a sharp pain in his heart. "Good, because I have no intention of fathering a hanyou bastard that will only poison my opportunities in this territory," he growled, pouring all the viciousness he could into his words.

"I thought you said that it didn't matter to you," she said, her eyes growing large.

He gave her a scathing look. "I lied."

"You… you never lie."

"Obviously, you do not know me as well as you think you do," he said.

She stood up, her fists clenched. "Why are you being so mean? Sesshoumaru… I didn't… I never expected…" She fell silent.

"And in the future," he continued, unhearing of her protests, "I trust that you will find your own bed and stay away from mine."

She started to cry. "You're sick," she said. "You're saying things you don't mean."

"I have never felt so clear-headed in my life," he said, standing up as well. Again, his head protested and sent a wave of vertigo through his body. He was sick. He should stop. What in hell was he doing? But he couldn't cease the words tumbling out of his mouth. "I will mate with Ryukotsusei's daughter, as my father commands, and the Western Lands will be better for it."

"Ryu…" Kagome lifted her head. "Ryukotsusei? Sesshoumaru, you can't…"

"I can and will. I will not have you trying to influence the future of this territory with your soft-hearted ideas. Only pure demons will rule this land." There was a finality in his voice that stung both of them. And as Sesshoumaru watched her, he realized that she would never truly forgive him for his words.

She suddenly straightened, a fierceness shining in her eye. "Fine. Just fine with me," she spat. "Take Ryukotsusei's daughter. If you can. May the fate that comes to you be on your shoulders alone."

Kagome spun on her heel and walked away, back to the castle. Sesshoumaru sat down again, feeling light-headed. A chill racked his body that had little to do with his illness.

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"I know that I am early, my lord, but Lord Ryukotsusei hopes that you will have an answer."

Toga stood at the window of his office. Kagome and Sesshoumaru had just emerged from the castle and were walking along the path. Interesting, the way she walked so close. "Yes," he said, turning his head back to the dragon lord's messenger, who was a green-skinned lizard youkai. "I have a proposal. Let's see if we can reach an agreement, shall we? It's right there." He pointed to a scroll of parchment in the center of his desk.

The messenger reached forward and read down the list. "Lord Toga, my lord does not raise livestock," he murmured.

"Do you only hunt?" asked the taiyoukai.

"Yes, my lord."

Toga sighed. "Very well. What does your lord propose?"

"We could provide many fine pelts. Our hunters are the best in the lands," answered the messenger.

"Oh, are they?"

"_Some_ of the best, my lord," the messenger corrected himself. "Of course, my lord recognizes the hunting and battle prowess of the Western…"

"Save it," interrupted Toga. "I'll take the pelts. It's hardly the most important item."

The messenger scribbled the change onto both scrolls. "Most wise, my lord." His eyes skimmed the list again. "Ah, these jewels, my lord…"

"Don't tell me you can't provide those either," said Toga, looking out the window again. Kagome was looking a bit peeved and he wondered what his son had said. Of course, his son looked rather irritated too. That pair certainly had spirit. "Your clan comes from the mountains. Certainly, you are not thieves instead of miners."

The lizard youkai was clearly affronted, but knew better than to say anything. "We have the jewels, my lord, but pearls? We are not close to an ocean."

Toga glowered at him for a moment before looking back out the window. Kagome was leading his son to a bench. Of course, Sesshoumaru _would_ overexert himself in no time flat. Although, come to think of it, he could have sworn that the healer had ordered his son to at least three days of bed rest. "Don't lie to me. I know that Ryukotsusei has a large province on the coast. I know that he receives shipments of pearls on a regular basis. Now, put down the pearls or I'll rip your fingers out of their sockets."

"Yes, my lord," murmured the messenger, his skin paling to a sicklier green.

He watched as the pair sat together, with Kagome stroking his son's hair. As the lizard youkai scratched out the changes to the dowry, Kagome drew back. Toga sighed in exasperation.

"Anything else you require from my lord's coastal lands?" asked the messenger hesitantly. He'd obviously been instructed to keep that province a secret if at all possible. Toga tried to feel some sympathy for the youkai, but only managed half-hearted pity.

"No. That's enough."

"Very good, my lord."

Now Kagome was standing up again. It looked like she was yelling at him. Or crying. He couldn't tell. What _had_ Sesshoumaru said to her? "What about the female's own necessities?" asked Toga distractedly. "I don't want to be outfitting my daughter-in-law with an entirely new wardrobe. She has one, doesn't she?"

"She spends most of her time in her dragon form," said the lizard. "But she does own enough finery, to start off with."

Toga sighed. Sesshoumaru was standing up too. He didn't look so sick now. But then, when did he ever show any weakness when he was angry? Toga briefly considered calling the guards down to the garden, before dismissing the idea. Sesshoumaru would never hurt the girl. "Fine. What else does she require?"

"Her own rooms. She will bring her own attendants and they will need rooms as well. She expects your staff to clean and cook for her, however."

"And what does her staff do all day? Make a mess and eat?" Toga muttered.

"Um… Anyway, she also requires a personal fight trainer. Her father will not allow her to take his general." He ran his finger down the rest of the list. "And she would like to know how Lord Sesshoumaru feels about pets."

Toga watched as Kagome stalked away from his son. Sesshoumaru sank back to his seat and placed his head in his hands. That was one hell of a fight, he decided, as he turned back to the lizard youkai. "You know what? I believe I've changed my mind about all of this."

The messenger blinked. "I do not understand, my lord. She… she doesn't _have_ to bring a pet," he stammered.

"No, I've changed my mind about the entire thing. My son will not be mating with your lord's daughter." He smiled darkly. "You may leave now."

It took a few moments for the other youkai to process Toga's words. "This is… shocking, my lord. I must go back with a reason for this!"

"Ah, yes. You can tell Ryukotsusei that I have found another mate for my son," said Toga, advancing on the lizard demon.

The messenger got to his feet. "May I ask who, my lord?"

"Charming girl. Goes by the name of Kagome. I doubt you'd know her. She's human and from a family that I have never even heard of." His smile widened. "But my son is deeply in love with her and I'm afraid I cannot disappoint him."

"Lord Toga… I am speechless."

"That will help as you make your speedy exit," Toga replied.

"But my lady!" The lizard demon was backing up as fast as possible from the approaching taiyoukai.

Toga reached forward and slid the door open, ushering the lizard youkai out none too delicately. "I'm sure she's a lovely girl too. And I'm sure she will have no trouble finding a mate."

"My lord, have you _seen_ her?" asked the messenger, just as the door was closed in his face.

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He found her easily enough. She was sitting in one of the unused rooms, sitting on the tatami mats and staring at the blank wall. She had wiped away the tears, but he could still smell the salt in the air.

"You should dress for dinner," he murmured, gesturing to the casual kimono she wore. "I have another guest. Unexpected this time, but much more welcome than the last. He's one of my subjects and a good friend of mine. He and his family would like to meet you, I'm sure."

"No thank you. I'm not hungry," she replied.

Toga rocked back and forth on his heels. "Sesshoumaru is not coming to dinner." He paused as her body shuddered. "He's sick again. Somehow, he managed to get all worked up and now his fever is back. I've had to post guards to make sure he doesn't get out of bed again."

"Will he be alright?" Kagome asked softly.

"Yes, he'll be fine. He needs a couple of days of rest though. Then he will accompany you on your journey once again."

She finally moved and turned to look at him. "If it's possible, I would like to leave tomorrow."

"He will not be well enough tomorrow," replied Toga.

Kagome nodded. "I know."

It was worse than he thought. "I cannot allow you to wander my lands alone, Kagome. There are many demons out there, many of them my own subjects, who would easily overcome you. You would be dead within hours."

"I can defend myself," she replied dully.

"Yes. You told me about the wolf, but forgive me, you don't seem to have quite a handle on this power of yours." Toga straightened his spine and frowned. "And with that power that you carry, I will not trust any of my guards with you. I am the only other one that could manage to take you, but I cannot leave my home. Not now. Your best bet is Sesshoumaru."

Kagome curled up her knees under her chin. "I don't think he'll be very happy about going with me either."

Toga sat down beside her, facing the same wall, and waited.

"Why are you forcing him to mate with someone he doesn't love?" she asked a few moments later.

"I'm not forcing anything on him. My own father did that and I will not pass on that tradition." He turned his head to look at her. "I told Sesshoumaru that he must take a mate soon. He was the one that asked me to find him one. He has never cared about finding a mate that he loves, despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise."

"He said that you'd chosen," she murmured.

"And I have. I hope that Sesshoumaru will have a mate within week or so."

Kagome's eyes widened. "So soon?"

"He needs an heir. With only one child of my own, my line and leadership is constantly in danger. There are lords that have lost as many as six sons. I have been fortunate so far, but I don't wish to press my luck."

"Why Ryukotsusei's daughter?"

Toga raised an eyebrow. "I see that Sesshoumaru told you. Well, Kaida would provide my son with strong children and the alliance would be beneficial. Why?"

"It's just… Ryukotsusei is known to be… violent," she stuttered.

"Most dragons are," said Toga softly.

Kagome wanted to tell him. She wanted to confess everything so that he would know the danger he was in by dealing with Ryukotsusei. She wanted to warn him, so that he would never go near the dragon, so that he would never die and so that he would be there for Inuyasha. And for Sesshoumaru. She knew that both of his sons felt Toga's absence.

But she couldn't say anything. It could change everything, but who could guarantee that the change would be for the better? If she said something, she could even prevent Inuyasha's birth and change her own history.

"Just… be careful," she murmured finally.

"I always am, my girl."

Kagome smiled sadly. "Of course you are." She sighed. "I hope that Sesshoumaru is happy with his new mate. I hope Kaida gives you many grandchildren."

"Oh, she won't do that."

The girl blinked. "What do you mean?"

Toga shrugged. "She _would_ have provided me with strong grandchildren. The alliance _would_ have been beneficial. But somehow, I think it would be more trouble than it's worth. I rejected Ryukotsusei's offer and sent his messenger away." He leaned closer to the shocked girl. "To tell the truth, I think we all managed to dodge an arrow with that decision. She sounded hideous. In more ways than one."

For the first time in hours, Kagome truly smiled. "So Sesshoumaru doesn't have a mate?" she asked, trying and failing to keep her voice neutral.

"Oh, he does. He still needs one after all."

The smile faltered. "Touran?"

"No." He smiled, showing off his fangs. "Someone he loves."

"He doesn't love anyone," Kagome said, the smile having faded entirely.

Toga shrugged. "Well, not that I would _ever_, in a million years, eavesdrop on my sick son as a woman graced his bed. But _assuming_ I did, I _might_ have heard Sesshoumaru tell a certain human girl that he was the most precious creature in the world to him." He noted the surprise on her face and grinned. "I think those were the words anyway. You might have to ask him."

Kagome shook her head. "No, he didn't say that."

"I assure you that he did."

"He couldn't have. You must have heard wrong."

Toga frowned slightly. He had expected a lot more smiling and laughing than this. "These aren't just for aesthetics," he said, pointing to his ears. "A dog demon has the best hearing of any youkai race. I heard what he said to you."

"Then he was delirious. Because he told me that he would only have pure-blooded children. He would never anger his subjects by taking a human woman. He would never have me." Tears welled up in her eyes once again, distressing the taiyoukai beside her.

"Ah, that's what he said, was it?" He shrugged as she looked at him. "So I might spy on my sick son from my office window as well. Only when I have his best interests at heart and I'm trying to get him a mate."

Kagome began to cry, the tears running down her cheeks thickly, staining her skin with salt. When the droplets began to drip off her chin, Toga pulled the girl into a one-armed hug, patting her on the shoulder. "Forgive me, Kagome," he murmured. "I want my son to be happy, despite what he might think. I'm sure that whatever he said was simply a foolish attempt to push aside his feelings for you. He thought he would be mated to another female. Last night I told him that he should take you, but he refused for the sake of our lands."

"Then… he doesn't want me. Just as he said," she choked out.

Toga sighed. "There are several that _would_ be angry, I admit, but he gave up too easily. He fears for _you_, not for himself, Kagome. I gave in for a while, because I thought he might be right. But when I saw you two in the garden, I realized my mistake. His mistake too. You are actually too strong, even for a youkai mate. He will realize that." He listened to her sobs as they began to subside. "Kagome, would you take my son as your mate?"

She sniffed. "I…" She stopped and pulled away from the taiyoukai, rubbing at her eyes and wrapping an arm around her knees. "I don't even know if I love him," she murmured.

"You don't?" asked Toga gently.

Kagome took a deep breath. She remembered dying, with Midoriko bending over her and Sesshoumaru coming towards her prone body. He had concern in his eyes. He had knelt down beside her and tried to comfort her. And although she knew that she could not possibly remember anything from his journey to save her life, she seemed to remember feeling warm and safe and beloved. He had been the only one she wanted to see. And he had come for her.

But she also remembered what she said to him as she died, her words of apology for something that wouldn't happen for another three hundred years. She had almost revealed an important part of Sesshoumaru's future, just because she was dying. If she loved him, she would tell him everything.

"I can't love him," she answered.

Toga frowned. "I do not understand. You were fighting about him not taking you as his mate and now you are telling me that you would refuse him anyway?"

"Yes," Kagome replied, defeated.

"Why? Is it because you are uncomfortable with the fact that I am asking on his behalf?" He paused. "I admit I am not familiar with the courtship rituals of humans, but it seems that they frequently help their children find their mates."

"It's not that. It's not even the fact that he said such cruel things to me. I know that he's sick and he's just trying to protect himself and this kingdom." She sighed and rubbed away the tears again. "He didn't say anything that I didn't expect. I was just trying to give myself an excuse to hate him."

Toga raised an eyebrow. "You are the first that needs an excuse."

Kagome smiled softly and rested her chin on her folded arms. "I've only known him, _really_ known him, for a few days. It's so strange that I would consider giving up my life to stay here with him."

"So you would take him as your mate," replied Toga.

"Yes," she said immediately. She pressed a hand over her chest, over the vial that held the shards underneath her kimono. "But I can't. I have other duties. When he helps me get home, I will never come back. I can't come back and I can't stay."

"And so this rejection is for the protection of my son's heart?"

"My heart too," murmured Kagome.

He sighed heavily. "So you will both refuse the other for the sake of duty."

"It's not such a surprise," said the girl. "Priestesses often die alone. This is why. Please, understand that everything would be different if I was anyone else."

"If you were anyone else, Sesshoumaru would not want you so badly," replied Toga with a grim smile. He took a breath as she lowered her eyes. "Very well. I understand, although I am not sure that I agree. But what do I know? I am only one demon."

"Thank you," she replied, as the taiyoukai got to his feet.

Toga smiled. "I have done nothing but meddled in my son's romantic affairs for the past day and a half, and you're thanking me. I feel less like a demon lord and more like the town gossip."

"You love your son. That is worthy of thanks," Kagome said. She sighed and stared at the blank wall again.

Turning serious again, the taiyoukai stretched out his hand, offering it to the girl. "Come, my dear girl. Have dinner with my guests and me. It will take your mind off of these things. It's not healthy to mourn like this."

Kagome paused for a moment and then took his hand.

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A/N: I know that a lot of you will want to kill me after Kagome refused Toga's proposal on Sesshoumaru's behalf, but did you really think it'd be that easy? Poor Toga though – he tries so hard and those darn kids just won't cooperate! Some of you obviously wanted to know how both Sesshoumaru and Kagome were getting along in their whole processing of their feelings. I hope this chapter illuminated everything a bit. Please review!


	10. The Wolves at the Door

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long, ya'll. Although exams are over (for now), I had to write an appellate brief for the first time. It's like torture, only you're graded on how well you scream in agony. Anyway…

A big, big, big, ENORMOUS thanks to all of you that nominated and voted for this story for the 4th quarter IYFG awards. It won 3rd place for best serial and tied for 3rd place for best romance (other). Thank you!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 10: The Wolves at the Door

"My lady, you look beautiful."

Kagome lifted a hand to her hair, which was adorned with a golden comb. She certainly was dressed as befitted a princess. She was amazed what a bath and a fine kimono could do for her image. No one would know that she was crying her eyes out a few hours before. She wondered what Sesshoumaru would say if he saw her. She sighed.

"Is something wrong, my lady?" asked her young attendant.

"No, I'm fine," replied Kagome. She didn't want to do this. She could care less about having dinner with Toga's guests. But she also knew that it would probably lift her spirits to have food and company. "Do you know when dinner will be ready?" There was a noise in the hallway and she turned. Sesshoumaru was supposed to remain in bed. Was he feeling better already? Toga said he wouldn't be at dinner though.

"Soon, my lady."

Kagome turned back. "Hmm?"

The demoness raised an eyebrow. "I was answering your question, my lady. I said that dinner would be ready soon."

"Oh, sorry. I completely lost my concentration there for a moment."

The servant pressed her rosy lips into a thin line. "Yes, my lady. I do not mean any offense, but you have been distracted all evening. Are you all right? Are you sure that you can go to dinner tonight?"

"I'm fine." She _was_ distracted. Dinner was the farthest thing from her mind. What she really wanted to do was go to Sesshoumaru, press kisses to his face and promise him that she would stay, if he would only let her.

Kagome sighed softly. Whenever she fought with Inuyasha, they would fume in silence and then one of them would feel guilty and apologize. Well, _she_ would apologize. Inuyasha's way of making up was to say something gruff and foolish, which usually made her mad again. But fighting with Sesshoumaru… All she felt was this deep ache in the pit of her stomach, despite Toga's words earlier that afternoon, and despite knowing that Sesshoumaru had only said those things to protect her. She still felt like she had masses of unshed tears behind her eyes.

It was much more like the time she had run away from Inuyasha, after finding him in the arms of Kikyo. That was a long time ago, very soon after she had arrived in the Feudal Era, but she remembered the pain. And she remembered the words her mother said under the God Tree.

She had just accepted the situation then. There was a competitor for Inuyasha's attention that Kagome couldn't actually compete with. She understood it. As long as she could be with Inuyasha, she had accepted and understood.

But that wasn't the case here. She would leave soon. She couldn't accept things as they were. With Inuyasha, she had had hope. With Sesshoumaru, she would only have memories.

She wanted to go to him, to forgive and to apologize, but she resisted. It would only result in tears. That could wait at least until after dinner. Still, she should remove temptation.

"I'm going to go down to dinner early."

The servant bowed as Kagome went to the door and stepped out. Across the hallway, guards stood on either side of Sesshoumaru's door. They stared back at her with grim expressions. Kagome smiled sadly. If Sesshoumaru really wanted to escape his room again, those two guards wouldn't stand a chance. A whole battalion wouldn't. Toga was probably minimizing his losses by posting only two.

But for now, Sesshoumaru's side of the hall was silent and she headed downstairs to the dining room. Servants were still setting the table, looking up at her in surprise when she arrived.

She moved to the opposite side of the room and slid open the doors, revealing a small inner courtyard. "Oh. I'm sorry," she murmured, seeing that someone was sitting on the small bench already.

A woman looked up at her. "It's alright. I was just waiting for dinner to start." She stood up and bowed slightly. "You must be Kagome, Toga-sama's guest."

"Yes, I am." She smiled uneasily. "I'm afraid that Toga-sama did not tell me the names of his other guests."

"I am Gen," said the woman, stepping forward so that the moonlight fell across her face. She was dark-haired and black-eyed, with bronzed skin, as if she spent her days in the sun. But it was her tail and the furs across her shoulders that Kagome noticed.

"Are… are you a wolf youkai?" she asked.

Gen nodded, looking a little perplexed. "I am here with my mate, the prince of the Western wolf clan, Hotaka."

Kagome took a breath. "Do you have children?"

"One. A son. He's with us, so you'll meet him soon."

Her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. "How old is he? What's his name?"

Gen smiled softly, pleased to speak of her child. "He's thirty. Almost three years old in human age. His name is Koga."

Kagome felt weak, although she knew that was what Gen would say. Koga. As a child. The very thought reeled through her mind at an insane pace, making her dizzy. She needed to sit down, but instead she tried to smile. "Lovely name."

"Hotaka chose it. It was his father's name." She stepped up from the courtyard and onto the walkway surrounding it. "My mate looks forward to meeting you. He has never met a miko before that wasn't trying to…" She stopped and blushed.

"Kill him?" suggested Kagome. She laughed softly. "It's alright. I'm used to it."

Gen nodded. "I'm glad. Hotaka will certainly bring it up. He's afraid of miko."

The women laughed together and Kagome decided she liked this woman. How did Koga become such a brazen creature though? Gen was demure. There was only one other possibility.

"Gen! Where are ya?"

"Here, my mate," called back the demoness.

Another door slid open and a stocky, broad-shouldered male wolf demon came through with a tiny creature tumbling around his feet. It was Koga, the perfect miniature version of Kagome's future friend and suitor, right down to the smirk on his childlike face. "Kid's driving me nuts. What the heck do you feed him?" asked his father, staring down at the child as Koga ran to his mother.

"I feed him what a growing child needs," replied Gen with an indulgent smile. "My lord and mate, meet Lady Kagome, Toga-sama's guest."

Hotaka turned, his eyes widening. "Shit."

"Hotaka!" Gen admonished, covering her son's ears.

The wolf prince smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, darlin'."

Kagome watched the pair pass one another a look that was both full of understanding and love that made the miko's heart swell painfully. "I'm pleased to meet you, Prince Hotaka," she said softly.

He looked back at her and grinned. "Don't use 'prince'. That's only within my own clan. To everyone else, I'm Lord Hotaka and you don't have to use that even, my lady."

"Only if you don't call me by any title either," she replied.

He nodded. "Right. Kagome. How do you know my bastard of a friend?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Actually, I met Toga-sama's son while in a bit of trouble and he helped me. Our path led us here," she said.

Gen and Hotaka both raised their eyebrows. "Lord Sesshoumaru helped ya?" asked the demon. "Well, what do ya know, the kid might have a heart. 'Course, you're a pretty girl and who wouldn't help a pretty girl, human or not?"

"Still," interjected Gen, "I have never heard of Sesshoumaru-sama helping anyone before. You must have made a great impression on him."

Hotaka let out a braying laugh. "Gen, you're embarrassing the girl."

Kagome tried to stop the color coming to her cheeks. Wasn't he supposed to be afraid of her? Well, at least she was right about where Koga's brazen personality came from.

Gen nudged her child. "Go greet Kagome."

The girl watched as her friend walked up to her, throwing his head back so that he could look up at her face. "Hello, Kagome. I'm Koga," he said with a little bow and his young voice. Kagome almost laughed.

"Hello, Koga. Are you having dinner with us?"

He nodded. "You smell funny."

Gen covered her face while Hotaka looked ticked off. But Kagome smiled. "I'm human. Haven't you met a human before?"

"Our wolves eat them sometimes."

Kagome paused. She knew that, of course. Koga would one day threaten to let those wolves eat her in the future. Guess things didn't really change for him. "Oh."

Koga opened his mouth again, but was interrupted by his father. "Kid, if you say one more stupid thing, I'm going to smack you upside the head. I know your mother taught ya some manners, so you got no excuse." He gave the girl a half-hearted smile. "Gen's real good with him, but I shouldn't let him run wild so much, ya know?"

Kagome smiled again. "It's alright. He's cute." Vicious too, she added mentally, watching Koga grin at her. His fangs were already sharp.

A shadow fell over her shoulder and she turned to see Toga in the doorway. "I see you've all met. Are you ready for dinner?"

"Is it human?" Koga asked, licking his lips. He squealed as his father boxed his ears.

Toga arched an eyebrow, but grinned anyway. "I made sure your food was practically raw, little prince," he said.

"Don't encourage him," Gen said with a soft laugh as they stepped back inside.

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Dinner went well, although Kagome found that Gen was a little too shy for her tastes. She was so accustomed to Sango and the boys that Gen's soft demeanor was tiring. Hotaka, on the other hand, had enough rude jokes and rough edges for both of them. He reminded her distinctly of Inuyasha, if the hanyou had more of a sense of humor.

By the end of the first course, Koga was firmly attached to her hip, asking her about how many demons she had killed and informing her of his plans to be the greatest wolf lord ever. He even spoke of his two friends, two brothers called Hakkaku and Ginta. Kagome smiled as she heard about the wolves, who she learned were entire _two years_ younger than Koga. It was something he was quite proud of.

He kept her laughing. Kagome decided that Koga was much more fun when he wasn't besotted with her. Perhaps one day she could remind him about this first meeting. She smiled to think of his reaction.

But soon, Koga started yawning and Gen swept him up into her arms, said goodnight and took her son to bed. Kagome was left with the two males. Toga wasn't smiling any more.

"My son and Kagome met some wolves north of here," he said softly, dangerously. "They had to kill them after the wolves attacked. Missing anyone?"

Hotaka's jaw tightened. "No. Why the hell would they come after your kid and a miko?"

"I don't know, but you've been awfully quiet tonight, Hotaka. I'm just wondering if something's wrong, my friend."

Kagome arched an eyebrow. That was Hotaka when he was quiet? No wonder Gen was so pleased to talk to her. Her mate never shut up.

"Ain't nothing wrong with my tribe," said Hotaka defensively.

Toga tapped his claws on the edge of the table and waited.

The wolf shifted his weight uneasily. "Alright, maybe there have been a few problems up north. Not my guys though. But it's making them damn nervous. The Northern tribe has lost at least ten of their best warriors. Ya know, the big brutes and the quick smart ones. Their best. Making us all wonder what's going on. But I don't know. I've tried to find out but they're all edgy. They won't talk to us."

Toga frowned. "I see." The tapping stopped and he leaned back. "I suppose it's not my problem. The northern tribes aren't mine. But these wolves were on the edge of my territory and attacking my son."

"Didn't think even the stupid ones were stupid enough to do that," muttered Hotaka. "Sorry, Toga, I don't know anything about it. Wish I did."

The taiyoukai studied him for a moment, then nodded and stood. "Alright, my friend. I understand. We'll talk more tomorrow."

The wolf smiled. "Hope so." He bowed to the miko. "Night, Kagome. Nice to meet ya."

"You too," she replied, smiling as he excused himself.

The taiyoukai watched him leave. "Something isn't right," he murmured.

The girl looked up at him. "About what? Do you think he was lying?"

"No. I don't think so. I'll talk to him again tomorrow, just to make sure." Toga yawned, looking surprised at himself. "No wonder the kid was falling asleep. It must be late."

Kagome could feel the heaviness of slumber in her limbs as well and nodded. "It is." She bit her lip. "I was going to talk to Sesshoumaru tonight, but I guess it should wait."

The dog general frowned slightly. "Yes, definitely. Sesshoumaru only gets nastier the later in the night that you bother him."

The girl rolled her stiff neck and smiled. "Then it will definitely wait. Goodnight, Toga."

"Goodnight."

She walked slowly back to her room, her feet dragging with every step. She was appalled at how long it would take her to undress and take down her hair, and promised herself a nice sleep in the next morning. Wouldn't that be heavenly? For someone who didn't go to school, she got very few late mornings and she relished the chance.

Just as she pulled herself up to the top stair, she heard pounding feet behind her. Turning, she saw a huge guard in full armor charging up the stairs, forcing her to flatten her body against the wall so she wouldn't be bowled over. He went past her without a glance and ran to the guards standing outside of Sesshoumaru's door down the hall. After some hurried whispers, the three guards turned and went the other way, running along the corridor.

Kagome frowned. "Weird," she murmured, but she was truly too sleepy to care much.

Dragging herself to her room, she lit the oil lamp beside her bed and began to shed the jewelry that Toga had kindly lent to her. She suspected that it once belonged to Sesshoumaru's mother. It was ancient and delicate, adding only shimmers of gold and jade to her colorful silk kimono. Come to think of it, the kimono was probably Sesshoumaru's mother's as well. She hadn't thought of that before, but why else would Toga have so much clothing for a female? How strange.

Then again, it could have belonged to one of Toga's paramours. Kagome shuddered. She would go with the first choice, thanks. Toga was a fine looking demon, but he was Sesshoumaru's father after all. And Inuyasha's. And she couldn't help thinking of him as dead in the back of her mind, even when he was right in front of her. It was rather traumatizing actually, to know that this great dog demon would soon be dead. She would be happy to leave this place. As wonderful as he was, speaking with Toga made her heart heavy. She couldn't help him and she so very much wanted to.

She sighed and lifted a hand to her hair, trying to pull out the golden comb. "Ow. Son of a…" She stuck her fingers through her silky hair and rubbed at her scalp, where the comb's teeth had scratched at her skin. The servants had really wedged the comb in.

Her oil lamp blew out, plunging her into pitch black.

Kagome frowned and went to her door, opening it so that some of the hall light could come in. But it was black in the hallway too. She stepped out and looked around, but her eyes could not see through the inky dark, even after they adjusted.

She shrugged, guessing that a gust of wind had gone through the corridor, and turned back to the room. She would just have to light it in the dark. No big deal.

Feet pounded through the hallway again and she got into the room just in time to prevent herself from getting trampled. "Lady Kagome?"

"Yes?" She squinted, but still couldn't see a thing.

There was a sigh of relief. "Oh good, my lady, you're here. Please stay in your room. The entire castle has gone dark. We don't want you hurt."

Kagome frowned at the wavering tenor to the guard's voice. "Alright," she agreed, puzzled at the idea of a feudal era blackout, but not eager to go out in it either. "I'll just wait here."

"Thank you, my lady," said the guard and then he was gone, down the hallway with the others that had run past. She listened to them as the sound faded away into the darkness. She moved to go back into her room.

"_Kagome_."

The whisper sent a shiver of fear down her spine. It sounded so far away and yet, she could have sworn that she felt someone's breath across her neck. She stared out into the darkness, unsure of what way she was even facing. "Hello?" she called. "Hello?"

Nothing moved and nothing made a sound. Kagome turned back into her room, feeling spooked and ready to get under her covers. But first, a light. She reached out and found her bedside table and the lamp, but it wouldn't light, try as she might. She growled in frustration.

A light flared behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see a solitary light in the hall, almost directly across the way from her door. Swallowing her uneasiness, Kagome decided that it would be better to have this light than no light at all and she went back into the corridor, stepping into the corona of the flame and reaching for the lamp.

Someone grabbed her and turned her, pinning her back against the wall, under the lamp. She shrieked and struggled.

"Kagome!"

The girl opened her eyes, not remembering when she had shut them. Gen was in front of her, gripping her arms so hard that Kagome was sure they would bruise. Her face was drawn and pale, a vast difference from the pretty face earlier in the night. "Gen?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

The wolf demoness shook her head rapidly, her eyes roving wildly. "I should have told you. I'm sorry, Kagome! I'm sorry!"

"Told me what?" asked Kagome, truly frightened as she began to feel the wolf's claws through her kimono. "What're you sorry for?"

"It was me," breathed Gen. "I was the one that wanted to come. And I never should have!" She began to cry, great droplets running down her nose and dripping off into the darkness around their feet. "What'll happen to him? Oh, my baby boy! What'll happen to Koga?"

"Gen!" Kagome yelled. "What's wrong?"

She stopped twitching for a moment and looked into Kagome's eyes. "I saw him. I was out on a patrol, before I mated with Hotaka. He needed help. He was covered in what looked like black tar and he breathed black smoke. Black smoke that rolled across the ground and never went away! He asked for help and I was afraid. I'm always afraid! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Who are you talking about? Gen?"

Gen moaned, closing her eyes. "Oh. Oh. Oh… he's here. He's finally come for me. He said he would. He said my tribe was cursed because I denied him. I made such a mistake… They're all disappearing now. Going to him. Now it's my turn to follow my tribe."

Kagome frowned. "Your tribe? Gen, are you from the Northern tribes?"

She looked up at the miko, her eyes wide with fear, and released her arms. "I'm the only one that knows," she murmured. "That's why."

There was a rushing sound, like the sound of hundreds of birds taking flight all at once. Gen screamed and suddenly, she was disappearing into the darkness, reaching out for Kagome. She screamed and screamed and although Kagome tried to catch her, she touched nothing but air.

"Gen! Gen!" she yelled.

The wolf gave one final high-pitched yelp as the reflection of her eyes faded into the darkness. Kagome gave out her own cry and pressed herself against the wall, under the one light that was still lit. She couldn't move, although the rushing noise had stopped as soon as Gen had disappeared.

Kagome wanted to scream herself, but she was frozen and terrified. She slid down the wall and stayed there for seconds, minutes, hours. She didn't know and she hardly cared. And when strong hands finally took her by her arms and pulled her to her feet, she could only whimper in protest.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Golden eyes appeared at the edge of the darkness.

"Sesshoumaru?"

She was gathered closer to his chest. "No. It's Toga. Kagome, what did you see?"

"Where's Sesshoumaru?" she asked, looking around. There were only a few guards, looking tired and worn down.

Toga shook his head. "He's fine. He's in the courtyard waiting for us." He frowned and leaned closer. "What did you see, Kagome?" he asked again.

"Gen… she disappeared. She was taken into the dark. She was screaming." The miko pressed her hands over her ears. "She was saying such crazy things. I couldn't believe it was her. And I couldn't help. I kept reaching for her…"

"Did you see what took her?" Red began to taint the gold of his eyes.

The miko whimpered and the dangerous red gleam disappeared. "No. I didn't see anyone but her. She was so frightened!" she sobbed, although no tears could escape. They were still frozen inside of her.

Toga's frown deepened. "I should have realized that it was her."

Kagome sniffed and stared up at him. "What do you mean? Did you know they were in trouble?"

"I could only guess, Kagome. They were both so quiet though. I thought it was Hotaka, but he didn't lie to me when he said he didn't know anything. I didn't think that it could have been Gen in trouble." He sighed. "What did she say?"

"She said it was her fault. She talked about a demon she met before she mated with Hotaka. But that must have been so long ago."

The taiyoukai frowned. "Yes, it was. She was probably out of her mind with fear." He reached up and grabbed the oil lamp above her head and pressed it into her hands. "Come on, we're going to get you out of here, Kagome."

They had already begun to run along the corridor when Kagome's brain clicked. "You're making me leave? Now?"

"Not just you. Koga needs to get away too."

"Am I coming back?" Earlier the thought of leaving the palace had calmed her and now it terrified her. She didn't want to go. Not like this.

He pressed his mouth into a thin line. "We'll see," he muttered after a moment.

"I don't understand. Where's Hotaka?"

Toga's stride faltered slightly. "Kagome, he's gone too. I heard him yelling. I only found blood. That's why I came to find you. I knew you must be in danger."

"Hotaka is dead?" she cried. "But that can't be."

The taiyoukai took a breath, steadying himself. "He was a good friend. They both were friends. I wish it were not true, but not even Hotaka could have survived losing that amount of blood."

"I'm so sorry, Toga," she murmured. Koga was an orphan now. Her heart cried for the boy. She had seen at dinner how much he loved his mother and looked up to his father.

"Unfortunately, I am accustomed to losing both valued subjects and friends," he said heavily. He gave her a swift glance. "You must hurry, Kagome. Although accustomed to it, I am unwilling to lose another friend."

Her eyes snapped over to him. "What? You think that thing is after me?" she asked.

The dog general shook his head. "I don't know. But all these wolves around have a connection. I think that Gen came here to see you." He saw her perplexed expression in the light of the lamp and sighed. "I hope that I'm wrong. It's just a feeling, but a dog trusts his instincts and I'm trusting this one. You need to get out of here."

"But I'd feel safer here," she protested. "And what about my things?" She tried to turn back around, hoping that he would calm down and rethink this.

He held her firmly, kept her moving forward. "Sesshoumaru is going with you. A servant is packing your things and will meet us in the courtyard. If nothing else, Kagome, you are the only one I trust to take Koga back to his tribe. Someone needs to do that. He's the prince now and needs protection. If I'm wrong about you being in danger, I will welcome you back with open arms. But until then, this castle is just a trap where the enemy can find you with ease."

"And who is this enemy?" Kagome cried. "You're sending me away and we don't know anything!"

Toga nodded. "I know, Kagome. But you are holding the only light in the castle. And it was lit near you." He paused and frowned. "You are a powerful miko with that powerful artifact hanging around your neck. Nothing is a coincidence where you are concerned. Maybe it wasn't Gen that sought you out, but the creature that killed her. I don't like this at all. You will be safer when you out of this place."

Kagome saw the fear in his eyes and conceded. Toga, like his sons, did not like to be in the dark. The enemy – whatever it was – could see them and they saw nothing. "Alright," she murmured, trying to calm down.

"Good. Now, when you get to the wolf tribe, tell them that you are my messenger. They will not harm you." He frowned slightly. "And if they try, Sesshoumaru will be there."

"Why would they want to hurt me?" she asked.

The taiyoukai sighed. "Wolves are notoriously superior. That's why I liked Hotaka. He was actually one of the less egotistical wolves I've dealt with." He gave a small, wry smile as he remembered, but it quickly faded. "Although the lordship is supposed to pass from father to son, it is not unknown for wolves to kill a leader that is seen as weak or incompetent."

Kagome stared. "But that's horrible. They would kill Koga just because he's a boy?"

"It's a pack instinct. A weak lord will only lead the pack to starvation, war and death. I'm hoping that they will give him a chance to prove himself as he grows up. Hotaka had a number of brothers that will lead until Koga is old enough to take over. I just hope whichever brother takes the lead will be willing to hand back that power when it comes time." He sighed again and looked at her. "But that is a long way off. Your only job is to deliver the boy and make it clear that I will support Koga's claim in any power struggle. Anything after that is up to them."

The miko tried to stay secure in the fact that she knew Koga would one day lead the tribe, yet the fear of his death began to gnaw in the pit of her stomach. Once again she wondered if this was fate, or if she was damaging time itself. She felt sick. "How long should I stay to make sure he's safe?" she asked.

"Do not be surprised if they take the boy and then request that you leave. They'll want to perform funeral rites for Hotaka and Gen. They don't like outsiders to be there. The Western tribe has been one of my closest allies through all my territory's troubles, and I have never seen a wolf's funeral. Don't take it too personally."

Kagome nodded. She had no desire to intrude upon a private ceremony.

"I doubt the boy understands," said Toga softly, as they rounded a corner. "Just deliver him safely into the hands of the Western wolf tribe. They wear brown furs. Anyone with white or gray furs is from another tribe and is not to be trusted. They are only allies with each other when necessary. They would be glad to get hold of the prince as a bargaining chip. Remember that." He placed a hand on the door, but didn't move and waited for her answer.

"Alright. He'll be safe."

Toga nodded. "Yes. I know."

They opened the doors to the front courtyard and Kagome fell back, her eyes widening.

The taiyoukai gave her a sad, yet proud, smile. "Never seen anything like that, have you?"

She shook her head, although that was a lie. But her heart was pounding, although this was the second time she had seen him like this. "Beautiful," she whispered, not able to help it. For a moment, the horror of the night fled from her mind.

Sesshoumaru stood in the courtyard, in his full demon form, throwing his head around and growling. Oh, he was terrifying. His red eyes roamed the edge of the courtyard and fell on her as she finally emerged from the castle. His snarl grew louder and she was uncertain of whether he was greeting her or still angry for that morning's fight. But the fight felt as if it were a million miles away now that she gazed upon his snow-white form.

Last time she had seen him like this, he had instilled such fear in her that she could not help but shiver now. He was a little smaller than he was in the future, but still towered over the roof of the castle and his growls make the ground quake. Not for the first time, Kagome regretted that Inuyasha had to injure his brother so badly. Although beautiful in his usual form, he was magnificent like this. Magnificent and dangerous. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"He can't talk like this," said Toga. "Not in any way you would understand, at least. But he'll understand everything you say."

Kagome finally tore her gaze from the younger dog demon. "He's going to carry us?"

Toga nodded. "Of course. It's the fastest way. You'll be there before morning."

"Is he well enough?"

The taiyoukai took a breath. "He has to be. The boy has to be taken home. But if he begins to pant, make him slow down. Make him stop. It's still his mind in there, but his animal instincts are stronger in this form and he'll want to resist."

Two servants approached them. One carried the sleeping form of Koga. The other held Kagome's yellow bag, stuffed full of clothes that were not hers. She wanted to protest, but the truth was that she had nothing else to wear besides the formal kimono she had on at the moment. She would have to take his charity, although she murmured a heartfelt thanks as she slipped the bag over her shoulders.

"He's not going to wake for awhile, my lady," whispered the other servant, as she transferred the boys to Kagome's arms. "The night's been a bit much for him."

Kagome nodded, tucking the child's head under her chin. It was strange to hold him. She would have thought it impossible to feel motherly towards a child that would grow up to declare his love for her. Perhaps this is why she could never love him, she thought wryly. Maybe she could explain that to him one day. She only hoped that he would not blame her for everything that had happened tonight. "Does he know about his parents?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Toga. "But as I said, I don't think he understands. His tribe will be able to explain it better to him. Best to leave it for them."

She nodded again and turned to face her host, unsure of what to say.

"Thank you," he said first. "You have been a true gift in what is increasingly becoming dark days, Kagome."

She smiled softly. "You've been very kind, Toga-sama." She shifted Koga onto one hip and reached forward with her free arm, giving the taiyoukai a brief embrace. The golden comb in her hair hit his chin and she pulled away, her hand flying up to her head. "Oh, this! I forgot. Here." She moved to take it out.

"Keep it," said Toga softly. His eyes were sad, although he smiled at her. "You are the loveliest creature to ever wear it. It has become yours."

Kagome let her hand fall. "Thank you." She gave him an earnest glance. "You will be careful, right? Try… try not to get into too much trouble."

His smile broadened slightly. "Oh, it's harder to hurt me than you'd think. I hope to be around for a lot longer yet."

The words burned on her tongue. _Watch out for Ryukotsusei! Take care of your sons, because they so desperately miss you! Try, try, try to be there for them._ But instead, she turned and walked across the courtyard to Sesshoumaru's feet, with tears stinging her eyes. If she didn't leave now, she would tell him everything.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her from his great height, but eventually put his belly to the ground so that a pair of guards could help her to her perch. She sat at the juncture of his neck and back, right in front of his shoulders. His thick fur enveloped and covered her to her waist.

"Comfortable?" asked Toga from the ground.

"Very," she replied, feeling the soft, silky fur surround her.

He gave her another small smile and Kagome wished she could see his easy grin instead. But he had just lost two of his friends, and so she understood. It was still hard to think of the two demons she had dinner with as dead. "Take care, Lady Kagome. I hope that I will see you again soon."

"So do I," she said, knowing that she never would. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," he called, as Sesshoumaru got to his feet. She soared up into the air with him.

Kagome grabbed onto his fur, trying to steady herself and by the time she felt secure, Sesshoumaru had already moved out of the courtyard and away from the castle. She turned back, but the building was fast receding and she could not find the silver of the inuyoukai's head. He was gone.

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A/N: I was going to have Sesshoumaru come and save her, but I thought you all would want to see Toga one last time. (For now? Maybe, maybe not.) Also, I didn't want them to have their post-argument talk in the midst of people dying. Kagome wouldn't do that. Truthfully, I had not planned for Kagome and Sesshoumaru to stay this long with Toga, but things just turned out that way. But things were getting a bit stagnant. Expect things to get a lot more action-oriented again. The vacation is over, kids. Please review!


	11. Her Promise

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 11: Her Promise

The moon was beginning to set when Kagome started to nod off. She shook herself and opened her eyes. If she fell asleep, she would probably slip right off Sesshoumaru's back. She yawned and stretched as best as she could with Koga in her arms. He was asleep at least, and the one that deserved it the most.

She brushed back the hair that fell into his eyes. The poor kid. He was alone now, going back to a family that might kill him just for not having a father and mother to protect him. She so much wanted to believe that she hadn't changed anything in this time, and that Koga would survive and thrive as the leader of the tribe.

But if what Toga suspected was true and that creature that had killed his parents had really been after her, Kagome had effectively orphaned one of her dearest friends. She clutched the boy to her and tried not to cry at the thought. She wanted to run back to Inuyasha's time, to find the adult Koga and to beg for his forgiveness. Her heart hurt to think of all that she might have done by her simple presence in this era.

A tear escaped and Sesshoumaru's great white head turned. His red eye studied her form as he growled softly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just very tired." She closed her eyes and hunched over Koga's small body. She realized that she had just spoken her first words to the taiyoukai since their fight, but she just could not care. She was suddenly and completely exhausted. She barely had the energy to speak a few words, much less enter a draining conversation about exactly what had gone on between them the previous morning.

Plus, Sesshoumaru wasn't really in the position to reply in his current form. Although, she reasoned sleepily, maybe that was a good thing.

The dog demon began to slow down and Kagome sucked in a breath, trying to keep her eyes open. "What? Are we here already?" she asked. They were at the base of a sheer cliff like those that the wolves inhabited in Inuyasha's time, but it didn't look familiar in the least. Not that it had to, she realized. Three hundred years changed a lot.

Sesshoumaru rounded a jutted edge of the cliff and paused, sniffing the air. To their right was a tall, thin entrance to a cave, just big enough to accommodate Sesshoumaru's present form. He sniffed again and, apparently satisfied, lowered himself to the ground so that Kagome could slide off his back.

She grunted as she hit the ground, jostling Koga a little. Every part of her ached now that she could move and she grimaced. "Are you sure this is the right place?" she asked, eyeing the cave. There was no guard, no sound and no life that she could discern.

Sesshoumaru stood again and lowered his head, nudging her forward with his nose. She stumbled forward and frowned up at him. "Alright, alright. I'm going," she muttered.

She could see by the moonlight until Sesshoumaru came in, blocking the light with his body. Feeling her way forward, she was pleased that it was at least dry, and clearly far larger than she had thought, given the narrow entrance.

Kagome paused. Although it was a sizeable cave, she would have tripped over a wolf by now if Koga's future cave was anything to go by. Had Sesshoumaru really stopped for her? Perhaps he was feeling ill. Either way, she couldn't see a thing and Koga was getting impossibly heavy.

Sesshoumaru's heavy breath suddenly came close and let in some light. She saw the outline of his white form settle down nearby, his front paws stretching out in front of him. Kagome inched close. "Can I put Koga down here?" she asked, nodding towards the space below his throat, where his long fur spread over the ground.

He growled in return, but it didn't sound too irritated and so she took it as a yes and reached around his paws to lay the boy down. "I'm going to change into something more suitable," she murmured.

She knew that Sesshoumaru could probably see inside the dark cave easily, so she moved back as far as she dared to go and watched him as she changed into the first thing she could pull out from her bag. He kept his head facing forward, watching the entrance. When she came back though, his red eyes fixed on her immediately. She shifted uncomfortably. "Are you going to stay in that form all night?" she asked.

He lowered his head in an unmistakable nod. "Alright." She shifted her weight again. "Can I… I mean, otherwise, I'll be sleeping on the cold ground."

The red eyes looked at her for a moment before he lifted his chin, allowing her access to the place between his paws where Koga was sleeping soundly. Kagome lay down in front of his chest, using his leg as a pillow and gathered the boy to her side, making sure that he wouldn't be crushed.

"I can hear your heart," she murmured, opening her eyes to see him looking at her again. Although those large red eyes had once held animalistic hatred for her, she couldn't help but hope that his expression was soft now. "Does it always go so fast?"

His lip lifted in a quiet snarl and she smiled. Sesshoumaru huffed a little and lowered his head, so that his neck arched over her and the boy. One of his long, soft ears brushed across her and she pulled it across her and Koga like a blanket, smiling again when he growled. But he didn't move and his eyes drifted closed.

Kagome's smile faded as Sesshoumaru's breathing began to even out, as his heart began to slow to a steady beat. _Stupid girl_, she admonished herself. She didn't want him thinking that she in any way forgave him for the things he said during their fight. And yet, here she was, flirting with him. As she slept beside him, no less!

She sighed, the weight of her heart settling uncomfortably against her ribs. It hurt. More than she would have thought. After all, she knew he had only said those things to defend himself. To defend her too. Not that that made it right.

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to sleep. Although her body was exhausted, her mind would not calm itself. She shifted and shifted, trying not to wake Koga or Sesshoumaru, and despairing of ever getting to sleep. Time ticked by at an agonizing pace.

And suddenly, her eyes opened to see that the morning sun was beginning to come into the cave, Sesshoumaru was alert and awake and Koga was no longer beside her.

She sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead with a groan. Sesshoumaru craned his head to look at her.

"I'm still so tired," she murmured, wanting to flop back down on the ground and bury herself in Sesshoumaru's fur. "Where's Koga?"

The dog demon lifted his eyes to look over his shoulder and Kagome rose to her feet to see Koga climbing all over the taiyoukai's back. "Hi, Kagome!" he chirped, bouncing a bit. Sesshoumaru growled softly.

"I think you're jumping on his kidneys," said Kagome, with an amused smile as she brushed back her hair.

"Oh." He stopped and looked at her. "Kagome, when are we going back to the castle?"

Kagome tried to hide her frown. "Why? Do you want to go back?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "My mom's going to miss me," he said, clearly annoyed that she hadn't thought of such a thing.

The girl took a small breath. "Sweetie, we're not going back," she replied gently. Toga had told her to let the wolf tribe explain it to the boy, but she was reluctant to lie to him. "Didn't anyone speak to you about your mother and father last night?"

He glowered at her. "That servant said they weren't coming back. But she's stupid. My mom wouldn't leave me. And neither would my father." He crossed his arms. "They're always here when I wake up. Where are they?"

Kagome looked back at Sesshoumaru. "Can you please change back?" she asked.

The taiyoukai growled. "He's not going to," Koga said, crawling across his back towards Sesshoumaru's shoulders. "My father told me it's real hard to change back and forth."

Kagome arched an eyebrow. "Toga neglected to tell me that," she muttered. She sighed and turned to the boy, reaching up and catching him as he slid down Sesshoumaru's front leg. He was so small in her arms that words failed. She couldn't tell him. It would break her heart to see the boy crushed with the news. "Why don't you sit here with Sesshoumaru? We're going to leave as soon as I change into a more suitable kimono. We'll talk on the way," she said, pulling at the collar of the mismatched yukata she had pulled from her bag in the dark.

Koga nodded, sitting on Sesshoumaru's paw as Kagome took her bag and moved into the back of the cave. Trusting that Sesshoumaru would be a gentleman, she turned her back on the two males and shed the yukata. She wrapped herself in the white inner-layer of the kimono and lifted the outer layer to shake out the folds. It would be impossible for her to put on all of the formal attire the servants had aided her with the night before and it was much too brightly colored for the bearer of bad news. Kagome frowned and folded it carefully. Toga must have given her a few of those dark kimono that had been in her wardrobe at the castle.

She bent over to search the bag when the cave echoed with a piercing shriek. Her head jerked up to see Sesshoumaru jump to his feet. Koga had fallen off his paws and was now scowling up at the taiyoukai.

"Sesshoumaru! What the hell?" she snapped.

The taiyoukai turned his head swiftly, letting out a snarl that unmistakably warned her to remain where she was. Kagome paled as he went to the cave entrance and stepped out. She ran to Koga. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He sniffed the air. "Maybe it's my mom!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "What? What do you smell?"

He wrinkled his nose. "I dunno. Smells like wolves though! Do you think it's my mom?"

She could hear Sesshoumaru snarling outside. She felt the demonic auras of several others, not so strong on their own but powerful in number. She shook her head and hugged Koga. "No, sweetie, I don't think so." She winced as something outside yelped in pain.

Koga pressed his face into her shoulder. "It doesn't smell good!" he wailed.

At first, she was confused. Then, the putrid stench of Sesshoumaru's poison began to waft through the air and Kagome realized that that they were in an unventilated cavern. The poison would eat through anything, she knew. She remembered the fear in her heart as they tried to escape from it in Toga's grave. "We have to get out of here," she said, pulling away from Koga and running to grab her bag. She swiveled on the balls of her bare feet and ran back, taking Koga's hand and pulling him along.

The plumes of green poison were mere feet from the entrance of the cave as they ran out and along the base of the cliff. Kagome turned, looking behind her at what was happening, her mouth dropping open at the sight.

A dozen wolves, in both human and demonic forms, surrounded Sesshoumaru, who was dripping with poison. There were also a number of other demons, including everything from an enormous boar demon down to some rat youkai. Sesshoumaru was severely outnumbered.

Kagome pulled the boy to a small depression in the rocks and set down her bag. "Damn," she cried softly, "they forgot to give me back my bow and arrows!"

"I've got a knife!" Koga said, pulling a small, dull blade from its place on his waist.

She bit her lip. "Don't worry about it." She heard another loud animal cry and looked back to see Sesshoumaru shaking off a couple wolves. They were sinking their teeth into his flesh as he snapped at them with his own terrifying jaws. Blood began to drip down his back. Kagome gave a soft cry. "I have to help him."

Koga looked up at her. "But what about the poison?" he asked, grabbing her sleeve.

Kagome frowned, realizing that the poison had spread far from Sesshoumaru, engulfing several of his enemies. They continued to attack, although the scent of burning hair and skin began to fill the air. She would be of no help in that. She could only watch as Sesshoumaru triumphed or died.

The boy held her hand as they watched. Sesshoumaru was wounded, but not severely. The bodies of dead youkai lay at his feet. The others were starting to look wary, backing up and avoiding the plumes of acid smoke.

But he was tiring. Kagome could tell. He was not as healthy as he could have been and he was facing more enemies than he could handle.

"Kagome!"

She turned to see a wolf headed towards her. Her heart stopped. Purifying him mean purifying Koga. That was her only thought before the wolf jumped and pinned her to the ground with one massive paw.

Kagome groaned as her head hit the dirt. Koga yelled for a moment before another demon, a monkey youkai with grotesque long arms, appeared and shoved the boy. He fell back, hitting his head on the rocks. "No," choked Kagome, struggling as Koga slumped to the ground. A bright red stain remained on the rock face.

"Shut up, bitch," growled the wolf. "I'm going to enjoy this. You killed my cousin."

"You shut up," snapped the monkey. "Get the thing and leave her before she purifies_ you_, you idiot. And before Sesshoumaru realizes we've got her. I don't want to be in those jaws."

The wolf snarled but lowered his massive head towards her throat anyway. Kagome cried out as he bared his teeth. There was a snap and he moved away again, the vial of the jewel shards in his mouth.

The monkey leaned forward and grabbed it, shaking the glass jar and peering inside with a grin on his horrible, hairy face. "Thanks, miko," he gloated, moving away. "Now you can do what you want with her. Don't blame me if you get fried."

Kagome cowered, trying to summon her purification powers and failing. The wolf chuckled and lowered his head again. "I knew you were a weakling. You just had a bit of luck with my cousin. So, this," he purred, "I will enjoy."

A roar ripped through the air and both the wolf and Kagome turned to see Sesshoumaru bounding towards them, his red eyes flashing. The wolf darted away from the girl, baring his teeth and snarling. Sesshoumaru snapped his jaws, narrowly missing the wolf. He growled and turned to try again.

Kagome caught her breath and crawled to Koga. He whimpered as she lifted his head. He had a deep cut on the back of his head, but it didn't feel any worse than that. He would have a hell of a headache though.

She turned back to the battle, just in time to see Sesshoumaru catch the wolf in his jaws and bite down. A sickening crack echoed off the cliff walls as the taiyoukai snapped the wolf into pieces and let the leftovers fall to the ground. His mouth full of blood, he turned to Kagome.

"I'm fine!" she called. "We're fine! But that monkey stole the shards!"

Sesshoumaru whirled around, finding the monkey youkai staring at him defiantly from the edge of the tree line. "I'm not afraid of a kid," he called.

The dog demon lunged, missing him by inches.

The monkey laughed and raised the glass jar above his head, smashing it with a squeeze of his fingers. The shards fell to his other hand. He gave them a greedy look, plucking one from the small collection. He yelled for the other demons, who were quickly catching up.

"Stop him, Sesshoumaru!" she yelled. "Before he uses it!"

Sesshoumaru shook off another wolf and attacked the monkey again, who avoided a swipe of Sesshoumaru's claws. The dog demon was slowing down. More wounds criss-crossed his back. Demons crawled over him, doing as much damage as possible as he dealt with the monkey demon.

The poison around Sesshoumaru's feet was dissipating. Kagome made sure Koga was comfortable and then stood, prepared to jump into the fray.

The monkey jammed a shard into his arm, laughing again. Kagome watched through the remnants of the acid smoke as he put another shard in his other arm and yet another on his forehead. His eyes began to glow like coals as he faced the inuyoukai.

"Damn it," muttered Kagome, deciding she would have to take the risk. Sesshoumaru was not strong enough to take on a demon with three shards. Not alone.

She took a breath, trying to call her purification power to her fingertips. It was there – weak, but there. She tried harder and her hands began to glow pink. "Why couldn't this have worked two minutes ago?" she groused as she headed into the fight.

Sesshoumaru was having a hard time dealing with both the monkey youkai and the countless demons snapping at his ankles. Blood dripped everywhere as he killed them and as they wounded him.

A few demons saw her as she approached and turned tail. Few youkai would mess with a miko if they could help it, but a surprising number stayed and turned to face her. When Sesshoumaru spotted her, he growled in warning.

Kagome smiled. She was beginning to learn that growls directed towards her meant something different than those directed at anyone else.

"I'll take care of the dog!" screeched the monkey. "Get the girl!"

The miko took a breath and pushed her energy to her fingertips. Some of these demons, however, were not the kind that needed to physically attack. They were not all brute force. One almost human female reminded her strongly of Yura of the Hair, except that she twisted a deadly scepter that crackled with lightening in her hands. A lizard youkai that walked on its hind legs breathed fire. And one particularly dangerous looking black-eyed male was forming an orb of mystical energy between his hands.

Kagome looked over their heads, watching with horror as Sesshoumaru fell to the ground with an earth-shattering crash. The monkey hit him three times in rapid succession before Sesshoumaru snapped at him and got to his feet.

She had to get to him, she decided. She had an idea too. If it didn't get herself killed, she would manage to kill a lot of them.

They advanced and she waited. Her fingertips burned with power, but she did nothing. They saw her inaction and, mistaking it for paralyzing fear, approached faster. She began to shake, but she held back.

When they were so close that she could smell their rotten breath, she let loose a wave of purifying energy. They screamed in agony as they disintegrated around her. Kagome was thrown off her feet, drained and momentarily blinded by the flash of light.

She blinked, her vision coming back just in time to see the few youkai that had escaped retreating back to the trees. She let out a breath. "So glad that worked," she muttered, getting to her feet, wobbling slightly.

The monkey demon looked up from his fight with Sesshoumaru. "Get back here!" he screamed to those that ran. "Kill her, you idiots!"

Sesshoumaru snarled and swung out with his claws, grazing the distracted youkai. The monkey shrieked and fell back.

"You think that's it?" he snapped. "You think that's all I got?"

The forest behind him began to swell with the sounds of demons and Kagome reeled at the fresh wave of demonic auras. There were dozens more hiding there, she realized. And she didn't have enough energy to pull her little stunt again, while Sesshoumaru looked like he was about two seconds from being down for the count.

Even so, Kagome summoned the last of her energy, hoping she could frighten the youkai into backing off.

The monkey looked at her, feeling the rise of purification magic in the air. He laughed. "My master gave me a choice for you to live or die. I thought he might want to see you himself, but you're a bit too cheeky for that." His grin spread, showing his sharp fangs. "I know that any demon that comes after you will die, so how about I make this interesting?"

He held up another shard and gave her a wicked look before glancing at Sesshoumaru.

Kagome realized what he was about to do. "No!" she yelled.

But it was too late. The monkey youkai had already leapt into the air and shoved the shard straight into Sesshoumaru's chest. The dog demon fell back with a yelp.

The monkey said something else and turned away, but Kagome wasn't paying attention. She could only watch Sesshoumaru as he shook his head slowly. Several of his smaller wounds began to close and the strength came back to his limbs. When he opened his eyes, Kagome let out a cry. He was gone. Nothing of Sesshoumaru remained in that predatory gaze. He looked at her and let out a howl. Tears began to fill her eyes. The shard turned dark and tainted, driving his senses out and leaving only the animal.

This was it. The day she had dreaded since their conversation in the forest. He had gone into pure rage. He would destroy everything and everyone in his path. He would slaughter her without a thought.

And she was the one that had promised to take him down if that ever happened.

She sobbed. "Seshoumaru!" she cried. "Oh, please don't make me do this! Please, come back!"

But, as she expected, he did not listen. He didn't seem capable of it anymore. Instead, he lowered his head and loped forward, towards her.

"Sesshoumaru…" Kagome murmured, her heart wrenching within her chest. Tears dripped down her face. But she couldn't let him do this. So few would be able to take him down in this form, let alone with a jewel shard driving him mad with power and rage.

The dog demon snarled, his teeth shining in the rising sun. The shard glittered as he bent his front legs, ready to kill her with one bite.

Kagome looked at him, wanting to say so much that she had no time to say. "I'm sorry," she cried instead, racing forward. She ducked his jaws and stretched out her hands, glowing with pink light.

She purified the jewel shard.

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"Koga? Are you awake?"

The little wolf groaned and opened his eyes. "Kagome?" The figure sharpened and he grinned. "Uncle Tomi!" he cried, seeing the tall, dark-haired wolf with bronze skin kneeling over him.

His uncle smiled at him. "Hey there, kid." His smile faded as Koga held his head in pain. "What happened, Koga? That's a nasty bump on your head."

"That monkey youkai hit me. It hurts real bad. But Kagome… Kagome!" He looked up at his father's youngest brother. "Where is she? She was fighting all those demons!"

Tomi frowned. "There is a human female here…"

"That's her! Where is she?"

Tomi picked up his nephew. "She's over there," he said, pointing to a small group of wolves huddled around something on the ground.

Koga frowned. "Is she okay?" he asked. "She took care of me! You have to help if she's hurt!"

The elder wolf frowned and didn't answer, placing the boy on the ground when they got close. "Let him see her," he ordered.

The wolves moved away to reveal two bodies, one human and one that only looked human. Black and silver hair mingled on the bloodstained ground. Koga approached slowly, leaning forward to touch the human's shoulder. "Kagome? Are you okay?"

Kagome lifted her head. Her cheeks were stained with tears, making streaks in the smudges on her skin. She tried to speak and only choked out another sob.

Koga looked at Sesshoumaru. He was quiet and still. His haori was parted in the front and he saw two perfect hand prints burned into the taiyoukai's flesh. Kagome was running her hands over Sesshoumaru's dirty face, still crying. "Is he okay?" he asked. When Kagome didn't answer, he turned and asked the same of Tomi.

His uncle frowned. "He's breathing, but he's not waking up, Koga." He lowered his voice. "She's a priestess. She did this to him."

"But she's nice!" cried the little wolf. "She took care of me!"

"She has brought you here, alone and without your parents. Where are they, Koga?" Tomi asked. "Why is she even with you?"

The boy's face fell. "I… I don't know. The servant said that Toga-sama was making me leave. She said that my mom and my father were dead." He frowned as the wolves around him drew in a quick, collective breath. "But Kagome is friends with Toga-sama. She's really nice, Uncle Tomi."

The wolf frowned and looked at the girl. Her sobs were beginning to subside and he could see the exhaustion in her limbs. She wouldn't be a problem if she decided to turn against them. Besides, it didn't look like she would willingly leave Lord Sesshoumaru's side.

Tomi nodded at the others. "Let's take them back to the cave," he said.

"Mizu isn't going to be happy about this," muttered one of the wolves, gently prying Kagome away from Sesshoumaru and lifting her into his arms. She complied, falling limply against the wolf's shoulder.

"When is my brother happy about anything?" said Tomi.

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His first coherent thought was that it was raining. Droplets hit his face, running down his face and forehead. Soon he smelled the salt. He felt her fingertips brushing the droplets away and the corners of his lips turned up slightly.

"Sesshoumaru?" Her touch paused.

"I have never been this ill this often in my life before I met you, Kagome," he murmured.

Although he didn't open his eyes, he could hear the smile in her voice. "Ill? That's what you call it? You keep throwing yourself into harm's way." Her fingers began to trace the markings on his cheeks. "You don't have to. I can take care of myself."

"Hmm. I am beginning to see the logic in that."

She laughed softly, but soon he could smell her sadness and her guilt. He opened his eyes to see tears collecting on her lashes. "Why are you crying, girl?" he asked. "You promised that if I ever turned on you, or anyone else, that you would stop me."

"I promised that I would kill you," she murmured.

"I appreciate the restraint," he replied.

He expected a smile, but instead her eyes filled with tears again. "But I would have, if I hadn't just purified several youkai," she said, sniffling a bit. "I tried to purify just the jewel shard, so that your soul wasn't tainted by it. I thought that maybe if I just purified the shard, you would turn back to normal. And I was right sort of. And thank Kami I was. I never tried just purifying the shard before, not when it was actually in a youkai. And you terrified me! You weren't breathing well and turned cold for a while. All your wounds healed because of the shard, but you weren't waking up. The healer said you were in shock and…"

"Kagome," interrupted Sesshoumaru, "stop talking."

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. Sorry."

He sat up slowly, holding one hand over his chest, where the healing skin stretched and pulled in protest. He would be up to his usual strength by nightfall and his burn marks would be gone by morning. "You have nothing to be sorry about," he said. "I was not in control. I could have killed you."

She shrugged carelessly. "I lost the jewel shards."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "All of them?"

She shook her head, opening her hand to show off one solitary shard. "I got the one that monkey demon put in you." She nodded towards the wolves around them, which were staying a respectful distance away, although they could not be out of earshot. "They found him in the forest and killed him, but the shards were already gone. He passed them off to someone else already. Or someone ripped them from him." She lowered her eyes. "Inuyasha is going to be so angry with me."

The taiyoukai suppressed a growl. "No, he won't. We will retrieve them."

"You don't have to be so protective," she said, glancing at the iciness in his eyes. "Inuyasha would never hurt me, no matter how angry he can get."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "I would never hurt you in anger either," he said, realizing the foolishness of the words as he spoke. He wanted to say something more, but the space between them was quickly widening.

Kagome practically jumped to her feet. "Oh, I forgot," she said hurriedly. "Tomi and Mizu wanted to see you as soon as you woke up. They're waiting outside."

She didn't want to talk about this now. Looking around the cave, seeing all the bright wolf eyes on them, he agreed. He had no desire to make a private, and what promised to be an extended, apology to her in front of others. He nodded and stood up. "Then we will go to them," he said steadily.

They stepped out into the nighttime air and found the two wolves standing just outside, on the edge of the light cast by the fires in the cave. One of the wolves turned and bowed with a smile on his face. "Lord Sesshoumaru, I am glad to see you're awake."

"I thank you for your hospitality," murmured Sesshoumaru.

"This is Lord Tomi," Kagome said, suddenly grinning. "He's the one that saved us."

Sesshoumaru suppressed a scowl for the wolf, who was now beaming at the girl. "Yes. Thank you for that as well."

Tomi bowed again and gestured towards the shorter, stockier and silent wolf behind him. "And this is my elder brother, Mizu."

When Mizu did not speak, Tomi sighed and turned back to his guests. "Anyway, we wanted to tell you that you are welcome to stay as long as you would like. We appreciate everything you have done for this tribe."

"How is Koga doing?" Kagome asked.

The wolf lord shook his head a little. "He is a stubborn child. I still think that he believes his mother will come home tomorrow. We have been fortunate in this tribe and have not lost many wolves during his life. He doesn't know death."

"He will learn it now," said Sesshoumaru.

"Unfortunately," agreed Tomi. "But, as I assured Lady Kagome earlier, Koga will be treated as my own son. He will receive every advantage so that no one might challenge his claim to the throne, just as your father requested."

Sesshoumaru nodded as his eyes flickered towards Mizu. "You are the youngest of three brothers, now just two," he said. "Why is the elder brother not caring for Hotaka's orphan?"

"Because I have no wish to protect that brat," said Mizu, speaking for the first time. His dark eyes turned towards the taiyoukai and the girl. "You may tell your father that I intend to challenge Koga's claim, no matter what my foolish little brother says."

"It's not your place," Kagome said, frowning. "Koga is the heir."

"I'm not giving up leadership of this tribe just because Hotaka had the fortune of fathering the little bastard before he died a fool's death," sneered the elder wolf.

The girl's jaw clenched. Really! Even Naraku had more charm. "You're disobeying Lord Toga! He won't let that happen," she said.

"Kagome, calm yourself."

She turned to the taiyoukai. "What?" she asked. "Sesshoumaru! He's talking about hurting a little boy!"

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. "He will not hurt the child," he said patiently. "As the elder brother, Mizu will act as lord of this tribe in Koga's place, something I am certain he will take full advantage of. When Koga becomes of age, Mizu will then challenge him to keep his position as lord. Koga will be grown and will have had extensive training. As for my father's wishes, they are only that – wishes. He is aware that he cannot completely control the leadership of his subordinates."

Kagome lowered her eyes. "But… he'll still be so young. Can't we do anything?"

"Your human mate asks for pity?" scoffed Mizu. "She does not know you well."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he turned to the wolf. "When you address me, you will address me as 'lord'. Do not get so familiar with me, wolf. And although I do recognize your rights to choose your own leader, listen to me when I say that my father and I both will be very displeased if any misfortune falls upon the boy before he comes of age." He glanced at Tomi. "We look to you to ensure your nephew's training and defeat of this wolf. I have no wish to endure his leadership for very long."

"That makes two of us, my lord," replied the younger brother with a smirk.

The taiyoukai nodded and looked back to Mizu. "We will leave in the morning so that you may exercise your brother and sister's funeral rites in privacy," he said. "For now, I ask that we be shown to our sleeping quarters."

Mizu scowled but did as he was ordered. Kagome and Sesshoumaru were soon following a young guard through the inner spaces of the cavern towards a large chamber with furs covering one corner.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh, but it's…"

"Fine," interjected Sesshoumaru, dismissing the guard. He walked deeper into the cave, which already had a fire burning on the opposite side as the large bed area.

"Sesshoumaru," she murmured, "there's only one… I mean, shouldn't I get my own room?"

He took off his sword and fur before looking at her again. "I am not allowing you to be alone with that wolf around. He would readily kill you if given the chance. He would kill me as well, if it would not start a war with my father." He sat on the edge of the fur bedding and removed his shoes. "They believe you are my mate anyway. To sleep in a different room would be considered strange."

"You didn't correct them," she said softly, finally moving forward. The firelight made their skin glow.

Sesshoumaru said nothing for a moment, staring forward. "No, I didn't," he murmured finally. "At the very least, they would believe that a human woman traveling with a demon male is his consort. But they are beneath me and I do not care about their opinion. It works so that I might protect you tonight."

"Tomi is nice," said Kagome with a shrug. She undid her obi and folded it carefully before shedding her outer kimono. She kept on the white inner layer, still stained from that morning's battle. Although she had been embarrassed when she had realized the wolves had seen her in her undergarments, Sesshoumaru had already seen her like this. It didn't bother her, although she knew it should have.

The taiyoukai was watching her undress out of the corner of his eye, unwilling and unable to look elsewhere. "He is better than his brother," he conceded.

"You were very short with Mizu. We both were," she said.

"It is no less than he deserved," replied Sesshoumaru. "Do you regret your words?"

She shook her head. "No, but I'm afraid I've caused future problems for you and your father."

"The wolf is a weakling. If he truly annoys us, we will kill him. I will take particular pleasure in doing it myself."

"Hmm, I see. Don't get too eager about it," she said with a soft smile.

"I will try," he said, removing his haori.

Kagome finished folding her own kimono and laid it aside, color rising in her cheeks. "So… how are we doing this? Do you want me to um…" She trailed off, biting her lip and staring at the one bed.

"It is large enough for six," said Sesshoumaru, standing and moving to the left side of the bed. "I will sleep closer to the door and you will sleep on the inside. I will not touch you." He sounded slightly offended.

"I didn't say you would," Kagome said, the blush going out of control. "Not without my… Well, it's just that…"

He arched an eyebrow. "Please try to complete your sentences in the future, Kagome," he murmured stoically as he reclined on the soft furs. "Tomorrow, when we are away from this place, we will talk."

She gave him a small smile. "Alright," she said. She went to her side of the bed and lay down, facing away from him. They listened to each other breathe for hours before Kagome finally was the first to fall asleep.

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A/N: There you go. I have yet another set of finals coming up (how do they come up so fast???) but I will try to get out another chapter before they start. Please read and review!


	12. Family Tradition

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 12: Family Tradition

He leaned over her, holding his breath. Her silken black hair flowed over the soft furs, tempting him to bury his fingers into it as he kissed her. Kami, did he want to kiss her. In her sleep, she licked her lips and turned towards him, sending her intoxicating scent of ginger and oranges to his nose. And it certainly didn't help that her kimono was sliding down her shoulder and revealing some of what promised to be a perfect chest.

With a tremendous effort, he gently pulled the kimono back up to a decent place and turned away. As he reached for his own haori he realized that he was shaking. He sighed.

This was getting ridiculous. She was angry with him and rightly so. Any kindness she had shown him since their fight was only the result of Kagome being Kagome. And even if she wasn't angry with him anymore and by some miracle forgave him for his cruel words, his purpose had not changed. He could not love her. She could not love him. They both had their own responsibilities.

He looked at her sleeping form again. She was very beautiful. She would have no trouble finding another male, and one that would probably do more for her than a taiyoukai could ever do.

He shook his head. No, he would be willing to do anything for her. He would take her as his mate, give her as many hanyou children as she wanted and yes, he would love her. Why should he not admit it? He was a taiyoukai! If he could not admit to himself that he could do something so simple as love a human, he was a coward.

But he didn't love her. He wouldn't have the chance. There was no point in thinking about it.

He sighed again. "Kagome."

Brown eyes fluttered open and she frowned. "What?" she muttered.

"It is time to go," he said, standing up. "Get up."

She moaned and pulled the fur coverlet up to her nose. "It's too early."

He arched an eyebrow. "Get up so that we may get out of this wretched cave. If necessary, I will carry you so that you may sleep. But only after we have announced our departure." He cursed himself silently for the offer as soon as he made it. Hours of her on his back, her breasts pressed against him, her breath on his neck? Gods, he was asking for it.

With a soft sound of resignation, Kagome flipped back the cover and pushed herself up to a sitting position as her long, slim legs moved to the floor. Sesshoumaru swallowed hard and looked away as she repositioned her under-kimono to cover herself better. "When do you think they'll start the funeral?" she asked.

"Soon. I can hear their preparations," he replied. "Join me outside when you are ready."

"Yeah, sure."

He wandered through the inner tunnels of the cavern until he finally stepped out into the morning sunshine. Around him, wolves were exiting the cave and taking the path to the top of the cliff. Already he could hear a few of them howling their grief for their lost leader.

"Good morning, my lord," greeted Tomi, appearing at his elbow.

"Good morning," Sesshoumaru replied shortly, remembering Kagome's warmth towards the wolf the previous night.

"Your father sent my brother and sister-in-law's remains this morning. The small bits he could find anyway," he said with a sigh. "Please give him my sincere thanks."

The taiyoukai nodded. "I will."

Tomi shifted his feet. "Is Lady Kagome waking soon?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "She will be out in a moment," he replied. "Why?"

"Well, my lord," the wolf said, lowering his voice and stepping closer, "I thought that I might ask about the exact nature of your relationship with Lady Kagome. You did not contradict my brother last night when he called her your mate, but Lady Kagome said nothing about that on the way back from yesterday's battle." He gave the dog demon a hopeful glance.

Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened. "Why should it matter to you?"

Tomi turned to watch the wolves in their processional up the path to the top of the cliff. "She is very beautiful," he said. "Surely you have noticed, my lord."

"She is human," the taiyoukai replied.

"But she is not weak," Tomi replied quickly.

"No," admitted Sesshoumaru. "She could kill any of us at any time." He rubbed a hand across his chest, feeling the new skin underneath his kimono where Kagome had burned him.

Tomi laughed softly. "I kind of like that about her. She's got fire in her."

The taiyoukai scowled. "She has many obligations," he muttered.

"Those must end sometime," Tomi said, his eyes again on his tribesmen. "I was going to invite her back here, once she has completed her responsibilities and when the tribe has recovered from the loss of my brother."

Sesshoumaru hesitated. He wanted to claim her as his own, to demand that the wolf stay away from her. But to claim a mate, even in front of an inferior lord, had political repercussions. And although the very idea was repellant to him, Sesshoumaru realized that Kagome might actually be interested in the uncivilized mutt before him. "She has no ties to me. You will have to ask her," he said flatly.

Tomi smiled. "I will. Thank you, my lord."

He wanted to throttle him, but settled for crossing his arms and looking away. He could hear Kagome's soft footfalls and her scent was approaching. She held Koga in her arms and was listening as the little wolf talked continually.

"And I can show you everything that Uncle Tomi teaches me," he was saying. "I'll be real strong, Kagome. You'll see."

"I'm sure," she said, laughing softly.

"Will you be back soon?" Koga asked.

Sesshoumaru and Tomi both turned to look at her. Kagome bit her lip. "I promise we'll see each other again," she said after a moment. "But I don't know when."

Both of the wolves' faces fell. "Please, Kagome?" the boy begged, tugging at her collar. "Please come back soon."

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead before setting him down on the ground. "You won't even miss me, Koga. You have so much to do and then one day, I'll be there again. You'll see. Don't worry about it, okay?"

The child nodded as Tomi stepped forward. As Kagome smiled at the elder wolf, Sesshoumaru was struck by how _familial _they looked. There was familiar warmth in Kagome's eyes as she looked at Tomi. And now he knew that the young lord returned those feelings. The taiyoukai turned away again, disgusted.

"Must you leave so soon, my lady?" asked Tomi. "You are welcome to remain for the funeral."

"Oh. No, Tomi-san, thank you. I know that this is a very private matter for wolves."

"I don't mind. You would be welcome."

Kagome smiled softly. "We really have to go, Tomi-san. Sesshoumaru is probably eager to return to his home and I can't delay him any longer. I have my own pressing responsibilities as well."

"Yes, I know," replied Tomi with a nod. He paused only for a moment before pressing on in earnest. "I thought, however, that you might want to come back? After you were done with everything?"

"Kagome said she was going to come back for me," Koga said, frowning at his uncle.

Tomi laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "So she did," he said. He gave the girl a meaningful glance. "I thought that Lady Kagome might come back for more than just you." Behind him, Sesshoumaru's shoulders tensed.

Kagome lowered her eyes, color spreading across her cheeks. "That's very sweet of you, Tomi," she began.

"So you will?" asked the wolf with a grin.

She smiled in return. "You barely know me," she said.

"It doesn't take wolves very long to know when they've found the right female," he replied.

No kidding, she thought silently. That, or this was a family trait. "I'm sure," she said aloud, "but… my responsibilities will probably not allow me to return. Not for a very long time."

"I'll wait," Tomi said, his grin fading slightly. "I'm not getting any older. Not by much anyway."

Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru and her heart clenched within her chest. His jaw was tightly clenched, and his eyes were flat and dull. How could someone look so angry and miserable at once? She sighed inwardly and looked back to Tomi. She reached forward and pressed her lips against his cheek. "Thank you," she murmured, pulling away. "But I have to hope that I can't. If I am able to come back as you wish, that means I have failed in my duty."

The wolf let out a breath. "Figures," he muttered with a smirk. "Very well, my lady, I will wish for your success. As long as you allow me a few selfish moments each day where I will wish for your failure."

She smiled. "I think I can allow that."

Sesshoumaru roused himself from his dark thoughts. "We need to leave," he said.

Kagome bit her lip. "Alright. I left my bag… Well, I'll be right back," she murmured, disappearing back into the cave.

Tomi turned to look at the taiyoukai as soon as she was out of sight. "You are very fortunate, my lord. To have a heart as big as hers loving you entirely… that's something I envy. I was hoping… Well, let's just say it's obvious that if she comes back, it won't be for me. It's good to know these things before you invest yourself too deeply." He grinned and hoisted Koga up into his arms as Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. "Will you tell her goodbye for the two of us? I should get to the top of the cliff before Mizu starts foaming at the mouth."

The dog demon nodded mutely.

The wolf bowed. "Thank you, my lord. Have a safe trip. Long live the Western Lands."

"And to all those that are under its protection," Sesshoumaru replied automatically, as tradition and manners dictated.

Tomi nodded and began to walk up the path, leading to the funeral. Koga waved over his uncle's shoulder. The rocks soon obscured him and the boy from sight. Kagome reemerged only moments later. "Where did they go?" she asked, shouldering her bag.

"The funeral is starting. They said goodbye," he murmured.

She gave a small smile. "Oh. Okay. I wish I could have said goodbye to them," she replied. She gave a half-hearted shrug. "Should we go then?"

"There is nothing else to stop us," he said, starting down the path in the opposite direction as Tomi had gone. Kagome followed in silence.

The wolf was an idiot, he realized. The scent of sadness coming from the girl was bleak and thick. She cared for the wolf after all. She kissed him. She promised the child she would return.

And she had the scent of hope when Tomi said that he would wish for her failure. She wanted to stay for the wolf. Tomi had read her scent, her eyes, and her expression incorrectly. But a taiyoukai had a flawless skill of observation. Kagome would rather have that wretched wolf than a civilized taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru clenched his hands, feeling his claws biting into his palms.

Not that any of it mattered, he told himself, trying to relax. She could have the flea-bitten creature.

They wended their way down the cliff face in silence. A dark forest stood quietly at the base of the rocks. Thick undergrowth curled around the tree trunks. Their path lay directly through the widest part of this forest.

"Stay close," he said, turning so that he caught a glimpse of her. "There are many youkai in here."

"How long will it take us to get through?" she asked, quickening her pace slightly so that she was beside him.

"All day," he replied.

Kagome took a breath. "Alright," she said, fixing an apprehensive eye on the forbidding forest.

He sighed inwardly. "I will protect you. Unless you would prefer the wolf?"

She glared. "Shut up. He's a nice guy."

"'Nice' will not protect you," commented Sesshoumaru, moving towards the trees. "If it did, you would have asked him to accompany you. He would have skipped his own brother's funeral too."

"Are you trying to be clever? You're not doing a very good job," she said, still glowering. "In case you didn't notice, I turned him down."

"You did kiss him." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as she made a soft sound of indignation. "I am merely observing."

"Yeah. Right," muttered Kagome. "You seem awfully interested to just be _observing_."

His golden eyes turned onto her. "Are insinuating that I am jealous?"

Kagome shrugged and gave him an arrogant grin. "You said it, not me."

He scoffed and entered the forest. "Woman, you are delusional. I think I have made it abundantly clear that I am not interested in you. Or have you forgotten the reason why you are irritated with me?"

"Angry, more like it," she spit back immediately. "I haven't forgotten."

"I was unsure," he replied. "You cried for me just yesterday." He smirked, trying to throw her off, just as she had almost done to him.

Kagome was unfazed. "I thought I'd killed you. Don't think that almost dying by my hand means that I forgive you."

Sesshoumaru set his jaw. She would not win this. "And I would not have you think…"

"Why don't I tell you what I think, instead of you assuming you know?" she interrupted. She watched with satisfaction as he shut his mouth and gave her a furious scowl. "I think that you're afraid of actually talking about what you said to me that morning. You're trying to pick a fight to avoid it. And you're being positively juvenile."

"This Sesshoumaru is afraid of nothing," he snapped. "And certainly not juvenile!"

Kagome gave him a serene glance and brushed past him, taking the lead through the trees. "Perhaps, but did you really want to talk about it this way? Didn't you go to sleep last night with every intention to speak to me civilly? And then this morning you start in on me about an innocent kiss." She looked over her shoulder. "So you're either jealous or afraid. Maybe both."

"You are judging me as you would judge a human," he growled. "But I am not human."

"Oh, really?" She rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I'm an expert in demon jealousy. You were jealous. Still are, which is stupid. I have no interest in Tomi. Not like that."

Sesshoumaru's lip lifted in a silent snarl. "I dislike the wolf. I do not dislike you. Although I might in a few moments if you continue speaking."

"Alright, I'll be quiet," she said, turning around to face him. He frowned down at her as she stretched out her hands and held his wrists. Her brown eyes flickered up to his face.

"What are you…?"

Her lips were against his and gone again so quickly that he wasn't certain what had happened. His wrists were released and she stepped back with a solemn look on her face.

His mouth moved and he realized that he could taste her. Ginger and citrus. After a moment, he could speak. "Why did you do that?" he asked angrily. He sighed inwardly when she remained silent. "You may speak. I will not dislike you the more for it, despite what I said." I will only dislike every female that touches me for the rest of my interminable life, he thought miserably.

"I did it so you have nothing to be jealous of. And now I've done something potentially humiliating, so the least you can do is get over your fears and apologize," she said. She was flushed, but held his gaze. "So that's done. Can we talk seriously now?"

He nodded.

"Good." She began to walk again. This time, he walked beside her. "You may start."

"Do you intend that I immediately begin to grovel at your feet?" he scoffed. "We would have to pause for a few moments. It's difficult to do while moving."

"As much as I would enjoy that," Kagome replied, a wry grin spreading across her face, "it's not necessary."

"I wouldn't have done it anyway," he grumbled.

She gave him a sidelong glance. "You said you'd talk seriously, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru sighed. He was still shaken by… by what Kagome just did. He wasn't sure he had the mental abilities to talk seriously yet. But she was looking at him anxiously now and he realized that his lengthy apology was at hand. His jaw clenched. "What exactly did you take offense…?"

"Never mind," she muttered, quickening her step so that he fell behind. She soon spun around to face him again, however, and Sesshoumaru had the distinct impression that she was not about to kiss him again. "I understand that this is hard for you. You're the great taiyoukai. But there isn't anyone here, Sesshoumaru. I won't tell a soul that you actually said that you were sorry. And you should be, you know? I felt so worthless after what you said to me. Worse than that, I felt like a whore."

Sesshoumaru frowned, wondering why she would feel that way. Oh, the comment about her staying in her own bed. He certainly couldn't tell her that was for her own sake, that if she ever slept in his arms again, she would be committing herself to him forever. No, he really couldn't say that.

Kagome stared at him furiously for a few moments before turning her back on him again. "Never mind," she said again. "I might understand, but you don't." She began to walk.

"No, I don't," he admitted, making her pause in her steps. "I cannot understand because no one has dared to insult me as I insulted you. But although I do not understand your injury, I know that you have one and I caused it. And for that, I apologize, Kagome."

He could see her chest moving rapidly and smell the salt of her tears, but she didn't look at him. "Really?" she asked, her voice small and heartbreakingly hopeful.

He could not hesitate, he realized. Her body was still tense, ready to walk away. Any untruth would undo everything. "I didn't mean it. Any of it," he said.

Now she turned, looking at him with wide eyes. "You didn't have to…"

"Why should I not say it if it is the truth?" he demanded. "I lied then and as you reminded me, I do not lie. I am correcting my mistake. What did you expect me to say?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't expect you to take it all back. I guess I expected you to say that you were sorry, but that you had been speaking the truth."

He suddenly saw the danger in his words. He was at a crossroads and he was not prepared to decide on which path to take. To admit his growing feelings for this human woman would probably only result in those feelings taking total control of his unused heart. And even then, he would have to deny her and she him. They had their own responsibilities, just as he told the wolf and just as he had reminded himself that very morning.

On the other hand, he did not know what she would do if he maintained that he had been speaking only generally and was apologizing only for the harsh effect of his words and not for the meaning of those words.

Kagome saved him, however. "All I wanted you to admit is that it's not impossible for you to love your mate and that she could be human. Is that what you meant?" she asked, smiling gently.

She was giving him a way out. She was equally unprepared to hear his words as he was unprepared to say them. "Yes," he said. "And that I do not think you are anything but chaste."

Her cheeks colored. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Then we are friends again?" he asked. He had expected more begging. More crying. More of anything except the shift of her scent into pure happiness.

This time she laughed. "Yes. I never stopped being your friend though, Sesshoumaru. Not just because of an argument." She reached out and their fingers entwined. They began to walk together. "I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago."

Sesshoumaru turned his head and frowned at her. "Then why..."

"That doesn't mean that you had any less obligation to apologize," she said, smiling faintly. "And besides, I forgave you, but that doesn't mean I knew it before just now."

The taiyoukai scowled. "You are an exceedingly perplexing woman."

"Some would just call me 'deep' and 'complex'," she said, her smile broadening.

"Frustrating. Vexing," suggested Sesshoumaru, his scowl turning to a smirk. How quickly she changed her mood! And to think, he was the cause of it all. The smile made up for everything. He had to resist smiling back at her. "Impossible."

She gave him a half-hearted glare. "Alright. That's enough."

"As you wish."

"You don't really think I'm impossible, do you?" she asked, turning her brown eyes up to him.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be tiresome, Kagome. You know that I do not. You're angling for compliments."

Kagome huffed in annoyance. She was caught. "Fine. But I think that I deserve a few."

"No, my penance is over," he observed.

"Fair enough," she conceded.

They walked in companionable silence for a time. Their nervousness from possible confessions was fading. They still held hands, but it was all very comfortable. Kagome began humming tunelessly. Sesshoumaru looked up to the few patches of the sky that could be seen through the treetops. "We might be in this forest overnight."

She arched an eyebrow and followed his gaze. "Are we? How can you tell?"

"Because it has been a very long time since I passed through this forest and I have forgotten. Also, something is following us and after we kill it, there might not be time to escape from these trees."

Kagome turned. "Again? Didn't you say something was following us earlier? Right before those men stabbed me?"

His hand reflexively tightened around hers. "Yes. It might be the same thing. I will not leave you this time, however. But I would like you remain awake for as long as possible tonight. I would like to give whatever it is as little opportunity to attack as possible," he said.

"You'll hear it coming," she replied with confidence. She had slept so badly the previous two nights. She didn't really want to give up another night.

He glanced at her. In the shadows of the trees, it was easy to remember her as she was that night – in pain and in fear, calling out for him as she died. "I hope I will."

"I'll stay up. As long as I can. To keep you company," she said, seeing the faint glimmer of concern in his eyes. "Do you know how to dance?" she asked suddenly.

The taiyoukai was thrown for a moment. She had such random thoughts. "As much as necessary," he muttered.

"So, not a lot," she laughed.

"No," he admitted. He gave her a suspicious look. "Why?"

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He trudged up the last few stairs, groaning softly. He thought of his bed. He thought of his food. Then, he thought of all the homework he had.

"Mom?" he called, dropping his bag in the entryway.

"Oh hello, Sota," Mrs. Higurashi answered from the kitchen. "How was school?"

"A battle without the glory," muttered the boy. "Got anything to eat?"

His mother nodded. "I was just preparing an early dinner for us. I thought you would be hungry. It'll be a few more minutes though. Will you go check on the well house?"

Sota shook himself out of his stupor. "Yeah. Why? Did you hear Kagome?" he asked, heading back towards the door.

"I heard something," she replied. "Go check."

The teenager obediently left the house and crossed the courtyard. The Goshinboku was shedding colored leaves all over the yard, crunching underfoot. Kagome would have to come back soon if she was going to make it in time for the winter carnival, Sota realized. But she wasn't coming out the well house yet and Kagome rarely hovered when she came home.

"Kagome?" he called, stepping up to the door and opening it.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but he still could not see the well. He frowned and pushed the doors wide.

Heavy black smoke was running over the sides of the well as if it were full of dry ice. Sota frowned. It didn't smell like fire and no one had been out here since Kagome had left days and days ago.

Still, it was menacing. He backed away. "Mom!" he called. "Mom! Get out here!"

A door opened behind him and he heard two pairs of feet coming towards him. "What is it, Sota?"

"Is it Kagome?" asked Grandpa.

The boy shook his head. "It's… something. I don't think it's a good thing."

They all peered into the well house. Its floor was almost covered with the smoke now. Mrs. Higurashi frowned. "How will Kagome get home?"

"Something tells me this has something to do with her," said Sota, rolling his eyes.

His mother studied the smoke. "It probably does. We can't do anything about it if it does have something to do with her though. Not until she comes back. If she can come back." Her mouth turned down.

"Don't worry, Mom. Kagome will get back. She's too stubborn to do anything but what she wants to do," Sota replied with a wry grin. "She'll be back."

"And what do we do with this until then?" asked Grandpa, gesturing towards the smoke, which was now creeping up the stairs.

Sota and his mother exchanged a look. "We should board it up," said Mrs. Higurashi. "Make sure none of this stuff gets out."

"And I'll put some of my sutras on it," Grandpa said, pulling the slips of paper from his haori. "That would stop it!"

The teenager sighed. "Sure, Grandpa. But just in case, I'll get the wood and nails from the shed."

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A/N: About 50 of my reviews say that Kagome and Sesshoumaru are already obviously in love, while the other 50 thanks me for not rushing them into love. Well, you're all right. One reviewer, khinei, said it very well – a lot of the focus of this story is just as much on figuring out they love one another as on whether they're right for each other.

Writing this chapter was difficult though, for just that reason. Originally, I wanted them to have a blazing row before Sesshoumaru begged for forgiveness. Then I realized that Kagome was just as eager to hear an apology as he was to give it. I hope that makes sense for all those who just love their tiffs. Don't worry – they're still going to fight like cats and dogs at times.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for any typos as I've not been sleeping very well – I am officially in the midst of finals. I'm only posting this because I've been sitting on the finished version for days, being totally unsure of whether it's actually finished. I decided to suck it up and see how you guys felt about it. The next chapter might take a little bit, but I hope not too much longer than usual. We'll see! Please review!


	13. Orphan

A/N: Thanks to everyone on SingleSpark who voted for this story for the 2006 awards! In a rather strange twist, the story got 3rd place for Best AU, although I categorized the story as canon. I'm not complaining. Haha. Really, I appreciate all of the attention that my little story gets. Kisses!

Also, FFN freaked out last time I posted, so if you're thinking that you've skipped a chapter, you might have.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 13: Orphan

"You didn't have to kick so hard," she complained.

"I only did as you asked," he replied.

She pouted, rubbing her shin. "I did not ask to be brutalized." She watched as his head turned a little, his mouth opening in protest. "Nuh-uh! Face forward!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and looked back towards the trees. "Your exact words were, and I quote, 'Sesshoumaru, I taught you to waltz, it's only fair that you teach me to fight some.' Then, I believe you added something about keeping ourselves amused for next few nights until we got back to Midoriko's village."

"Nowhere in that did I ask you to please treat me as an enemy and actually hit me," Kagome groused. She leaned back against the rock, letting the hot water wash over her. "I'm sore all over."

The taiyoukai arched an eyebrow. He actually felt guilty about his misstep, which had turned a demonstration to actual injury, but he had been all too pleased to comply with her request to teach her to fight. Not only had her impromptu dance lessons been embarrassing, but they had involved a lot of touching. He had thanked the gods when she had suggested the change. "You will have one bruise on your leg. The rest is the natural result of training. You will get better."

Kagome smiled at the back of his head. "You mean, you'll teach me more?"

He couldn't keep the smirk off his face. He could remember days he was in the dojo before dawn. He could also remember days when his father had nearly dragged him to training. "Yes," he replied. "You are very good for having so little instruction."

Her cheeks turned a deeper red than what the hot water was causing. "I've watched my friends for so long. I guess I was bound to pick up something."

"I am surprised none of them taught you themselves. It seems folly to have a member of your group who cannot completely defend herself."

She shrugged. "They always protected me." She shot him a wry grin, although he could not see it. "Although I didn't usually let Inuyasha or Miroku accompany me to my bath. Pervert."

He rolled his eyes. "You get in trouble the instant you leave my side. I will not have you abducted or injured for propriety's sake. Remember that we still have not found that creature that stalks us," he said. "Besides, no one else is out here. And I cannot see anything."

"Thank goodness. I think some of your subjects would have a heart attack," she laughed.

He smirked again. "Yes. Indeed they would."

Kagome let her legs float, allowing her sore muscles to relax. "Tell me about your subjects," she murmured, closing her eyes. "Why do they hate humans?"

"To tell you that would take all night," he said.

"Well, you're going to be my guard for awhile yet. My leg still feels like it's on fire."

"You're in a _hot spring_," Sesshoumaru said with a sigh.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I know the difference. You're lucky you didn't break something."

"Humans are so fragile and weak," he muttered. "That is why my subjects dislike them. Additionally, demons do not make friends with their food."

"Have you ever eaten a human?" she asked.

He grimaced. "No. I have crushed a few of them between my jaws in my other form. They are distasteful. Only lesser demons eat humans."

"The wolves eat humans."

"Proving my point," said Sesshoumaru with a sniff.

Kagome smiled softly, aware that he still felt a jab of jealousy over Tomi. "Are any humans your subjects?" she asked.

"A limited few have announced their allegiance to my father," said Sesshoumaru. "They prefer the protection of a demon more than the protection of their own kind. However, they are more of a burden than a benefit. My father must continually send troops to guard them from our other subjects."

"Why doesn't your father order his subjects to leave the humans alone?" she asked.

"They know not to bother humans that are guarded by my father's army, but we cannot tell the demons not to harm particular humans. They all look the same to demons, after all. Not to mention that some of our subjects are nothing more than mindless beasts that cannot be controlled with a simple order," he said.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," she replied, thinking of the typical youkai that attacked human villages. They weren't the type to give in to reason. She pushed off the rock and went towards her clothes lying on the bank. "Close your eyes. I'm getting out."

He obediently did so. "I thought that your leg was on fire," he commented, his voice taking on an edge of sarcasm.

She ignored it. "It still hurts, but I'm turning into a prune. Maybe I'll take another bath in the morning if I'm still sore," she said, drying off with her last remaining towel. She slid into fresh clothes as quickly as she could.

They had been traveling for three days now. After Sesshoumaru's apology, those days had been filled with idle chatter. It was just like those days with Midoriko, minus the uncomfortable silences that Kagome had babbled over. Without the other miko around, Sesshoumaru was more inclined to speak freely. Kagome had heard of his childhood, his obligations to the Western throne, and even some of his more memorable battles.

She got the feeling that he disliked speaking of his battles. No, that wasn't quite right. She got the feeling that he disliked speaking of his battles to her. Someday, his sons would hear of his exploits and how the blood ran over his hands and over the field, but she was not allowed to hear of it. Kagome wondered when he had decided that he didn't want to be seen as a blood-hungry warrior in her eyes.

Probably the same time that he started referring to humans as "them" and not "you", she reasoned. A smile flickered over her features.

Tying her obi, she walked over to the taiyoukai. "Thank you for guarding me, Sesshoumaru."

He arched an eyebrow as he got to his feet. "I have no wish to make another trip to my father's home for Tenseiga. We have been delayed long enough."

They looked at one another. Kagome smiled. "I won't leave your side and get myself killed again," she said.

"I hope not." He glanced up at the sky. The sun had set while Kagome had bathed. "It is late. We must build a fire."

He led her into the dark trees, his white haori shining despite the lack of light. His thick braid of hair swung gently with his soft footfalls. Kagome grinned, remembering his reluctant, half-muttered promise that she could braid it next time. She could just imagine what the future Sesshoumaru would do in response to the same request.

The future Sesshoumaru, she repeated to herself. What would he say in response to any of this? There was no denying it now – she had irreparably changed the future. Would he look upon her with kindness when she returned to Inuyasha's time? Or would he kill her for knowing all those things that he himself had told her over the past few days?

More importantly, was she causing changes at this point in the timeline that would violently injure every moment that came after?

The taiyoukai slowed his steps and turned his head to look at her. "Is something wrong?" he asked, picking up on the change of her scent.

Kagome shook her head. "No, not really. Just thinking of the future. About how everything's changing," she said with a sigh.

He looked at her for a moment. "Do not fear the future, Kagome. You cannot know it."

She suppressed an ironic smile. "Yeah. Sorry," she murmured.

Sesshoumaru stopped.

"Really, I'm fine," she said, frowning.

He turned, his golden eyes gleaming as they studied the trees. Kagome tried to follow his gaze but it was only darkness to her. "What is it?" she murmured.

"The creature has made an error," he said softly. "He has gotten too close. I know where he is."

"Go after it!" she urged.

He shook his head. "It could be a trap. I will not leave you, remember?" He sniffed the air. "I believe it is another wolf and if I did not know that before, it is possible he is assisted with spells."

Kagome rolled her eyes, stepped back and held up her hands. The trees reflected the pink light of her barrier as Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "This is kind of hard to do unless I'm concentrating," she said, "so I'd hurry, but I'll be fine for a little while. I promise. I've fried wolves before. I'll do it again."

Sesshoumaru hesitated for a moment, but the desire to catch the demon stalking them won out and he melted back into the darkness. Kagome sighed, straining her eyes to watch for his return the instant he disappeared. Around her, the barrier shimmered and the forest fell quiet. It was the silence of a held breath.

Something screamed in the distance. Kagome's muscles tensed, telling her to find whatever it was, but she remained in place. It wasn't Sesshoumaru, she told herself. If he had been hurt, he would bear it without a noise. It was his prey that had cried out.

A flock of roosting birds startled and rose en masse into the sky, screeching as they went. Kagome listened as their wings beat rapidly and faded into the night. Just as silence settled in the forest again, there was another scream.

Kagome started and the barrier around her flickered. The second scream had been very different from the first. Although still convinced that Sesshoumaru hadn't cried out, it sounded like there was more than just one demon attacking him. And losing. But still, it was worrisome.

She looked around, but autumn was coming to its height and night had settled fast. She was torn. She wanted to call for him, to make sure he was safe. If she did, he would come if he were able. But that might further endanger both of them. She sighed and waited.

Suddenly, her heart seized. Something was near, coming from the direction that Sesshoumaru had gone. She began to breathe shallowly, her palms clammy. It was taking its time in its approach. She felt it rather than saw it. It definitely wasn't a wolf. And it definitely did have a shard of the Shikon jewel.

It was moving in the dark. She could just see it out of the corners of her eyes. Kagome took a deep breath and pushed her power to the barrier, strengthening it as much as possible.

It was coming closer. She couldn't help it now.

"Sesshoumaru!"

The beast crashed into the barrier, rattling her and her power. She pressed herself against the other side, her eyes widening at the brazenness of a creature willing to connect with a miko's barrier. It slammed its body into the barrier again. She shrieked.

It was massive – at least fifteen feet tall. Its skin was mottled gray and stretched over its broad chest. Its limbs were disproportionately slender to the rest of it. Orange, bulbous eyes protruded from its skull above a short, beak-like mouth. If Kagome had been any less terrified, she would have been reminded of Jaken. It had an imp-like quality as it danced around her barrier, crashing into it freely. A pinprick of power emanated from its forehead.

A white blur came into her line of sight. She turned. "Sesshoumaru!" she cried happily.

The forest sang with sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. "Kagome, can the barrier hold?" he asked, his voice harsh.

"Yes. For a while," she replied. "It has a shard, Sesshoumaru. In its forehead."

He nodded and looked to the intruding youkai, who stared back. "Who are you?" he snapped. "You are invading upon my father's land."

The imp grinned, displaying two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Kagome's heart skipped a beat. "You know who I am," he answered.

"The master of the wolves," growled Sesshoumaru.

The grin widened. "No. You really are a fool, dog demon," he spat. "Well, I expect that of a creature that is constrained by the linear cosmos."

Sesshoumaru blinked, but quickly recovered from his momentary confusion. "Then if you are not the one who is controlling the wolves and those armies, I will easily slay you. Maybe your death will tell your master that I am tired of dealing with his subordinates!" he snapped, charging forward.

The youkai disappeared. Sesshoumaru stopped and turned. "Where is it?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know! I can't sense it! Not even the shard!"

"Keep that barrier up," he growled, holding his blade tightly.

There was a ripple in the air. Kagome felt every cell of her body protest against it and she tried not to retch. The imp was behind her, laughing as he came back into view.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red as he launched himself over Kagome's barrier, the sword raised above his head. It collided with the ground, sending up dirt in a wave when the imp disappeared again.

Another ripple and the imp appeared to Kagome's left. She groaned and clutched at her abdomen as the barrier flickered. Sesshoumaru turned and glared. "You fight without honor," snapped the taiyoukai. "Stand and face me."

The youkai grinned. "I have no intention to fight you, dog demon." His bulbous eyes drifted over to Kagome's pale face. "Feel it, miko? Feel that sick pit in your stomach? Like _you don't belong_?"

He disappeared again, almost immediately reappearing near the edge of the barrier. Kagome groaned as the ripple hit her. It was getting worse. Sesshoumaru snarled. "You will die for hurting her."

Lunging forward, he missed the youkai by inches. The strange imp laughed again, but Kagome heard it waver. "Sesshoumaru!" she called. "It's weakening! Every time it disappears! Make it do it again and you'll get it!"

The taiyoukai frowned. "It hurts you more each time," he answered, as his sword glanced off the creature's claws. "It wants to hurt you."

"I can take it."

They looked at one another for a moment and understanding passed between them. Sesshoumaru nodded. He glanced back at the imp, standing between a large tree trunk and Kagome's barrier. He snarled again and lashed out, forcing his blade dead on to the creature's heart.

To save himself, the imp disappeared, immediately reappearing just a few feet farther away from the tip of Sesshoumaru's sword. Kagome cried out in pain, but the taiyoukai forced himself to ignore it.

He did not hesitate, striking again. The creature did not have take to gather his strength again. His body fell to pieces under Sesshoumaru's blade.

Kagome let the barrier drop as she went to her knees.

"Kagome," he murmured, coming to her side. "How badly are you injured?"

She was breathing heavily, but she shook her head. "I'm okay. It's already passing. It just feels like I'm going to be sick is all."

"Can you move?"

"Yes, I think so," she said, taking his hand and standing up. She leaned against his chest and his free hand came up to stroke her hair. His fingers weaving through her silky locks calmed her almost immediately. "That was scary," she murmured.

He nodded. He had been frightened too, when she had cried out. "What was it doing to you?"

"I don't know," she murmured. She reluctantly moved away from him and towards the dead imp, plucking the shard out of its remains. It purified with her touch as the body wasted away in a moment. "It just hurt. Like pain was resonating through me. But I'm okay now. It was worth it to get another shard back."

"Then come," he said, sweeping her up into his arms. "If you are able, you must help."

Kagome looked up at him as he began to run through the forest. "Help? Who?" She remembered that she had heard two screams before the imp had appeared. "Was there another demon?"

"Yes. That imp was not the scout, but the advance guard. I do not know why he sought to hurt you in such a way. If it weakened him, he must have known that I would kill him," he said. "Although I never sensed him until you called for me."

The miko frowned. The youkai had said something about her not belonging here. Did it know somehow that she was not from this time? How was that possible? And more importantly, why would it matter? She shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "But what about the scout?"

Sesshoumaru slowed his steps as they came to a small clearing. "I killed it," he said. "With some help."

He set her down and Kagome saw that there were two bodies in the moonlight. One for each scream, she realized. One was a wolf, ripped open from end to end. It was dead. The other, to her immense surprise, was a fire cat. Its fur was matted with fresh blood.

She went to its side, dropping her bag, which she had been wearing the entire time. "What happened?" she asked, grabbing a white kimono under-layer from the top of the pile of clothes in her backpack. She tore it in half without hesitation and pressed it to the wound bleeding profusely from under the cat's front leg. It looked the wolf had cut her deep enough to get to her ribs.

"The wolf must have come upon the fire cat's lair," said Sesshoumaru, taking the other half of the torn kimono and pressing it to another serious wound. "That was what I heard. The wolf was too distracted with its fight with the cat to conceal its presence. The cat was already injured when I got here, but it continued to fight with me."

Kagome frowned as the blood seeped through the white kimono at an alarming speed. She glanced at the nekomata's eyes. They were glazed and her breathing was slowing down. "I don't think that I can save her," she murmured, reaching out and burying her fingers in the cat's fur. "She's fatally wounded."

"When you were hurt, the miko sealed your wound," said Sesshoumaru.

The girl shook her head. "That wouldn't do any good. Fire cats usually transform back into their smaller form when they're injured. I think that if she did it though, she would have bled out long ago. Even if I seal the wound, she's lost too much blood."

Even as Kagome spoke the fire cat took its final breath. The miko sighed and sat back, her eyes filling with tears. The poor thing, she lamented silently. She looked just like Kirara too. Her heart ached, both for the cat in front of her and for her friends.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "Fire cats are rare but loyal. My father will be displeased to hear we have lost one," he said, standing up. "Especially in such a senseless way as this."

The miko wiped her hands of the blood and stood as well. "I guess she wanted to fight for you, Sesshoumaru. You can't blame her for helping."

"I doubt she knew who I was," said the taiyoukai slowly, as if coming to a realization. He sniffed the air, turned and looked towards a small hole in the ground, twenty feet from where they stood. "She was protecting something."

Kagome watched in surprise as Sesshoumaru walked over, got to his knees and peered inside the hole. After a few moments of intense study, his arm darted in and brought out a small bundle of fur. "Is that a kitten?" Kagome asked, running over.

Sesshoumaru held the baseball-sized fluff in his large palm. "Yes," he said simply. He passed it to Kagome as it began to unroll, revealing tiny black ears and a double tail.

Kagome smiled in spite of the life just lost. "She's adorable. And so young. Is there only one?"

"Apparently," he said, standing again and brushing off his hands. "We will take it with us."

She gave him a shocked stare. "Really?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "As I said, they are rare and they are loyal. And at this age, it can eat meat, which we can readily provide."

"But it's a cat." She swallowed as he arched an eyebrow at her. "And you're… well, a dog."

He sighed. "That has little to do with anything," he said. "Besides, I owe a debt to the cat's mother. She took the brunt of a potentially severe attack from the wolf, which allowed me to gut it. I will at least make sure that nothing eats her progeny before morning."

Kagome picked up her bag, cradling the kitten in the crook of her arm. "I guess I'm just surprised. You don't seem the type to go cuddly over a kitten, Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai tried not to roll his eyes. "As soon as we find a suitable caretaker, we will get rid of it," he muttered. "Do not tell anyone that I am _cuddly_." He pronounced the word with marked distaste.

She started to smile, but it never made it to her eyes. Sesshoumaru watched as her eyes darkened and she let out a heavy sigh. "I've participated in orphaning yet another child," she muttered. "First Koga, now this one. Maybe others that I don't even know about."

"You had little to do with either one."

"If I wasn't here, it wouldn't have happened," she said.

Sesshoumaru frowned as the kitten let out a soft cry. Kagome hugged it to her. "You cannot speculate about what might have been," he said lamely. What could he say? Obviously this mysterious demon with hundreds of demons under his sway had taken a special interest in Kagome. Everyone around her was in danger. How could he deny that?

"Should we bury her?" she murmured, nodding towards the body.

He shook his head. "The smell of blood is already attracting carrion eaters," he said, sensing the approach of youkai. He turned away and began to walk.

"I feel bad for leaving her," Kagome said.

He gave her a careful look over his shoulder. "You will feel worse when a carrion eater has torn you apart for standing too close to its dinner. The cat is dead. She will not feel a thing."

"What about Tenseiga?" she asked, suddenly and urgently.

He frowned. "What about it?"

"We could have your father save her," said Kagome, her eyes wide with hope.

"Kagome, this is a natural passing of life," he replied. "I cannot ask my father to repair every death that might affect you or me."

She stamped her foot. "If this is natural, than so was my death!" she said. "What's the difference?"

"You are just feeling guilt. It will pass."

"I don't want it to!" She bit her lip and stared up at him. "Please, Sesshoumaru?"

The temptation was great. He wanted to gather her to his chest and promise her that he would fix everything. And she would smile at him. A pure smile that she only gave to him. But he didn't. "No, Kagome," he said, his voice firm. "The Tenseiga is not to be used for everyone. You were different."

"How? How am I possibly different? That fire cat has a baby," she said, tears collecting in her eyes again. "She has more to live for. You can't just pick and choose."

"It would be a colossal waste of time," he argued. "Her soul will be gone long before we manage to get back to my father's house. Even if it wasn't, my father would likely refuse. He would agree with me that this is not a death that should be reversed."

"But you did it for me," she said, her voice softening with the crumbling of her will.

"You were important enough," he replied, willing his voice not to betray the emotion behind those words.

Kagome lifted her eyes to his, wanting to protest again, but felt her strength was failing. "Alright," she murmured, defeated.

He nodded and reached forward, taking her free hand. His fingers were warm and she looked up at him in surprise. He had never taken her hand first. "Come," he said, "the scavengers will be here soon."

She followed along, her hand still in his, as he led them back to their path. Now that they were away from the clearing, the treetops obscured the moonlight. Her limbs suddenly grew heavy. "I'm so tired," she said.

"As I would expect," he replied. "You exerted a lot of energy to hold up that barrier and you were attacked. Are you still feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured, sounding anything but.

When they got far enough away from the bodies so that they weren't in any danger of running into a youkai looking for a meal, Sesshoumaru separated from her. "I must start a fire," he said. "Remain here and rest."

Kagome dropped her bag at her feet and sat down as Sesshoumaru began gathering firewood. Although she could not see him, he kept her within his line of sight. She sat with her head bowed over her lap and the kitten, which was curling up happily in her hands. Like Koga, the kitten did not understand what had happened to its mother.

"How about Misaki?" he said, returning with an armful of wood and kindling.

"Huh?" She looked up to a place about three feet to his left.

He started arranging the kindling. "For the fire cat. Do you not want to name her?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be the smart thing to do." Her eyebrows rose as she considered it. "But no, not Misaki. I knew a very nasty girl named that."

"Noriko? Arisu? Chiyo?" he suggested in rapid succession.

She shook her head. "What about Akemi? I've always liked that name."

"Alright."

"Or… or Kirara. I know another fire cat named Kirara."

He gave her a look as he set about striking a spark with his flint. "If there is already one fire cat named Kirara, why would you need another?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Akemi it is."

The kindling lit and their small camp was suddenly illuminated. Sesshoumaru fed the fire for a few moments before sitting back. "We will be back at Midoriko's village soon," he said. "When we get there, neither you nor the fire cat will leave my sight."

"You don't really think they'll try anything again, do you?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I will not trust them. I hope that I instilled enough fear into them that they will not try to kill you again."

Kagome's eyebrow arched. "Fear? What did you say to them?"

"If they touch you again, I will slay every member of that village," he bit out. "Regardless of what they do, I have the right to hunt down those that killed you the first time and gut them. I assisted Midoriko instead of taking my revenge."

"Don't do that," she said. "You'll just hurt that village more than they're already hurting. Why would you want that?"

He frowned. "Kagome, they killed you."

"I remember," she said, nodding. "But doesn't that make it my revenge, not yours? I won't let you kill them on my behalf, Sesshoumaru."

"They deserve…"

"What they deserve," she interrupted, "is just one person coming through that place that isn't out to slaughter them all. I don't condone what they did to me or how they feel towards you, but I understand why they're afraid. They've had a really bad time of things."

His jaw clenched. She was right, of course. Only mates and close family members could take revenge for another's injury or death. "They killed you because of me," he murmured.

Kagome lowered her eyes. "They hated you, but they expect you to be different. I scared them because I'm what they don't understand. A human caring for a demon scares them more than any demon alone could. They killed me for being myself. They had me pegged for a 'demon-sympathizer' the minute they saw me," she said, using air quotes and dropping her hands back into her lap.

"Let me take your vengeance," he said softly.

She smiled sadly at him. "You feel guilty about it still. Don't. And I'm not going to let you use guilt as an excuse to kill them. You didn't let me use guilt to get Tenseiga for the fire cat."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Very well. I will not kill them," he said. "Unless they try again. Then I will defend you with the force I deem necessary."

"Fair enough," she replied.

He glanced up at the sky and saw that the moon had already made considerable progress in the heavens. "It is late. You will feel better in the morning, but only if you rest. We have talked for too long."

She got to her feet with the kitten in her arms and came to his side. "May I?" she asked.

Her voice was steady but he could smell her hesitance. She actually thought that he had the power to refuse her. He shrugged off his fur pelt and opened his arms wordlessly. Instead of sitting beside him, she got into his lap, curling up with her head resting on his collarbone. He covered her and Akemi with the pelt, his arms falling around her waist.

"Tell me if your legs fall asleep," she murmured.

He nodded, knowing that he could be sitting on broken glass and he wouldn't have noticed.

"I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," she said.

His hands tightened around her waist. "Does this make you feel better?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then I am not uncomfortable," he said, lifting one hand to push back the hair that had fallen in her eyes.

She nodded and relaxed her muscles. "I just miss my friends and family a lot. And there's so much death here. I hope I make it back."

"You will," he replied immediately, realizing that she was seeking reassurances.

"But I don't want to leave either," she admitted, turning her eyes up to him. "I don't want to leave you, Sesshoumaru."

He smirked. "You are only saying that because I ran for more than two days to revive you from the dead."

She finally smiled. His heart skipped a beat. "You know it's not only that."

He pulled her closer. "I know." She tucked her head back under his chin. "Go to sleep, Kagome."

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A/N: I've written a few "Kagome and Sesshoumaru sleeping together" scenes, but I think this is my favorite. Aw.

Anyway, I thought I should tell all my lovely readers that I'm going to start posting a collection of one-shots and drabbles. It's going to include a variety of genres, rating and pairings, including but not exclusive to Sess/Kag, Inu/Kag, San/Mir. Basically, whatever I feel like writing at the moment. I've already got a few written, because I tend to write little drabbles when I'm stuck on my multi-chaptered stories. I don't have a name for it yet. (Suggestions would be welcome!) The one-shots and drabbles that are Sess/Kag based will be posted on SingleSpark. When I've posted the first, which is a Sess/Kag incidentally, I'll tell you.

Please review! And thanks again to my SingleSpark readers!


	14. A Bridge

A/N: Okay, all. I'm really sorry that I've taken so long. Even I was saying to myself, "Geez, Rosie, when are you going to finish that chapter? People are WAITING. And rather patiently at that. Get a move on!" Good news though – I am done with the internships that have taken all my time and energy. I have 8 weeks in which to do nothing but play with my new puppy and write. I hope that you were a bit appeased by my new one-shot, _My Obligation_, the first of a collection called _The Cricket's Cage_. If you haven't yet, go read and review!

For those that have forgotten what's happening: Kagome and Sesshoumaru are headed back to meet up with Midoriko after dropping the orphaned Koga off with his uncles. An imp creature attacked them and Kagome got its jewel shard, which brings her total up to 2. She needs to get the rest before returning to her own time and she's starting to get depressed about how much destruction she's bringing on this time period. They also picked up a new companion – Akemi, the baby fire-cat.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 14: A Bridge

Kagome dug into her yellow bag, muttering to herself. "I know it's in here."

Sesshoumaru opened one golden eye. "You have a penchant for forgetting things," he replied. "It is probably back at my father's palace."

"No, I'm certain it's here." She pulled out a thick stack of kimono and placed them on the taiyoukai's lap. "Hold these for a second."

He accepted them in silence as the top half of Kagome disappeared into her bag. She emerged a moment later with a triumphant grin and wiggling a cylindrical object between her fingers.

"Got it," she said. She turned to the entrance of the shallow cave and the torrents of rain coming down on the forest. She pressed herself deeper into the hollow, so that her back was against Sesshoumaru's arm and unsnapped the tie around the umbrella she had dug out of her bag. Holding it at the end of her outstretched arms, she opened it and set it against the entrance. Rain started tapping against the waterproof fabric and she relaxed. "Finally. Although my butt is soaked already," she groused, lifting herself off the ground and brushing at her damp backside.

Sesshoumaru watched in interest as Kagome situated herself against the rock beside him. Rain never bothered him, but Kagome had insisted upon finding shelter as soon as the first droplets had started falling upon them. Now it was a full-fledged deluge. They were going to be there for a while.

But her black hair glistened with the water, as if she was covered in tiny jewels. Even her wet eyelashes caught the dim light. The contraption she had put up to protect them from the rain was patterned in blue, red and green and so every droplet sparkled like a sapphire, ruby or emerald. She was breathtaking.

He was unaware that he looked similar, with the water jewels running all the way down his braid and his fur pelt. Kagome, looking at him out of the corner of her eye, couldn't help but think that he looked more like a king in this moment than any other.

The air was growing thick and Kagome averted her eyes. "It's going to be dark before this lets up," she said. "We're not going to be able to start a fire. Everything will be soaked."

Sesshoumaru nodded. His throat was dry and he had to swallow several times before replying. "We are fortunate that it has not rained on us until now. It is unusual for early autumn to have such little rain." He paused and shifted slightly. "I suppose we should wait until tomorrow morning before attempting to walk the rest of the way to Midoriko's village."

"Sit in here all night?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It is warm. It is relatively dry. No wild animal has been here in a long time. It is not the most comfortable, but from what I gather, you prefer to remain out of the rain and the wet."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

They looked at one another and Sesshoumaru frowned. "Do not worry, Kagome. I will not allow anyone in that village to touch you."

She wiggled in discomfort and he tried to ignore the way her body rubbed his in the small space. "I know," she said. "I'm not worried about that. That's the weird part. Even if I _know_ they're not going to do anything to me again, my heart stops every time I think about going back there. I get shaky and I just… I just hate them for making me feel this scared and tiny and _exposed_." She let out a long shuddering sigh.

The taiyoukai hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close. His jaw was clenched and his muscles tensed, but she seemed to relax. She had not been this close since she had slept in his lap three nights before. "That is… expected," he said, turning to look at her but ending up with his nose in her hair. He nearly groaned aloud. Kami, she smelled heavenly, he thought for the brief moment he indulged. But just as quickly, he turned away. "Death is something you will never recover from."

Kagome nodded against his shoulder. Her melancholy scent still wafted to his nose, breaking through the heaven he had just experienced.

"Do not feel guilty for hating them either," he said suddenly. The way she jerked in his grasp told him that he had been correct in guessing what was _really_ bothering her. After all, this was Kagome. She could barely stand to dislike anyone, much less hate. "They killed you. One day, you might only pity them or hold contempt for them. But for now, it would be unusual if you did not hate the senseless murder they subjected you to."

She reached over him and scooped up Akemi, who only barely opened her eyes in protest. Depositing the kitten in her lap, her nervous fingers danced over Akemi's ears. "I know. But, well, they hate demons so much. And they have sense for that, considering that a demon ravaged their village years ago. When they saw me… with you… it was enough to make them angry."

"Understandable, but not an excuse," he murmured.

"Yeah." She pressed herself even closer. "You should have heard what they said about me. About you. About us even." She colored slightly and he felt the warmth through his haori.

His jaw clenched again. "I can imagine," he managed to say, pushing down the desire to go out and rip the tongues from the men's filthy mouths. He knew that the men had killed Kagome for nothing other than her association with him, but to think that they insulted her honor and chastity was more than he could bear. It seemed that it was the accusation she faced at every turn while she was with him. It pained him, even more so because of its complete untruth and Kagome's utter innocence. "I wish that you would let me kill them."

"No," she said forcefully. She let out the anger in her voice. "We've already been over this."

"Yes, I know."

"Good. Let's not talk about it anymore," she said.

He took a breath. "Alright."

Kagome shifted again, her ear resting over his heart. She yawned. "Rain makes me tired."

"It is only mid-afternoon," he replied.

"Uh huh," she murmured. "Tell me a story."

He arched an eyebrow. "If you are the one that is tired, you should tell me a tale, not the other way around. If I tell it, you will almost certainly fall asleep."

"Does it matter?" she asked, yawning again. "We're going to be here for ages."

She was right. He was certainly not going to admit that he wanted her awake because he was aware of their shortening time together. He wondered when he had become so softhearted that he actually wanted to listen to the chatter of a human girl. He sighed. "Very well. What do you wish to hear?"

"Anything." She sounded half-asleep already.

He thought for a moment as he peered out into the rainy forest. It was falling as thickly as ever. He rested his head back against the stone. "At the beginning of time, there was nothing but sharp rock and dense mist."

"Izanami and Izanagi?" she interrupted softly, referring to the gods that had created Japan.

He shook his head. "That is the human story. Demons existed long before even Izanami. I will tell it to you, if you promise to not interrupt every other moment."

"Sorry."

Sesshoumaru nodded and began again. "At the beginning of time, there was nothing but sharp rock and dense mist. Even the underworld was empty. The gods were young and they had the restlessness of youth. They took the sharp rock and worked it like clay. They formed horrific creatures, full of teeth and scales and claws. And yet they were proud of these creations and breathed life into them.

"These were the first demons and they were as terrible as you could expect. They were full of malice and greed and they utterly lacked intelligence and grace. They spawned more demons like them and soon the earth was full. Because they had no food or proper shelter, they killed each other almost as fast as they reproduced. The gods were horrified at their creations."

"Well, they should be," she murmured. She was sounding more awake though and he did not chide her for the second interruption.

"The gods realized they needed to stop the demons or the earth would be destroyed," he continued. His claws found their way into the strands of her hair and he closed his eyes. "They tried again. They took only the dense mist and formed figures that were small and clever, but without all those things that they saw as defects the first time. These were humans and the gods were pleased when they breathed life into them. The humans hated the first demons just as much as the gods and they tried to fight them. But without claws, without teeth and without scales, they were slaughtered. The gods had to take them away for safekeeping before they were all destroyed.

"The gods conferred. They appreciated the strength of their first creations and the cleverness of their second creations. Perhaps they could create something with each of these traits in greater abundance than the predecessors. Then, the new creations could rule over the old."

Kagome shifted and he could tell she was smiling against his chest. "I know where this is going," she said.

"Good for you. Now hush," he replied gently. "The gods took both the rock and the mist and formed taiyoukai. The taiyoukai were more beautiful and intelligent than the humans could ever hope to be. They had the claws and teeth of the first demons as well, and surpassed them in strength. The gods breathed life into the taiyoukai and gave them weapons and heavenly raiments, so that all would know them for their greatness. The taiyoukai stepped onto the earth and conquered their lesser cousins with ease. They banished them to the underworld and to other shadowy realms."

"What about all the youkai left?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "It is just a story. When my mother told it to me, I asked the same question, however. She said that the taiyoukai knew that they would have nothing to do without the lesser demons to control, so they allowed a few to remain."

"So taiyoukai are half related to humans?"

His brow wrinkled. "The gods used the mist in forming taiyoukai, but that is hardly a relation."

"I disagree," she said. "I think that's the point of the story. Taiyoukai take the best of the other two creations. They need humans' traits in order to rise above the lesser demons. It's strange that demons hate humans now, considering that story."

He considered it for a moment. "Sometimes," he said, "my mother told it a different way. By the time the gods got to their third creation, the taiyoukai, they didn't have as much rock and mist so there were fewer taiyoukai made. The taiyoukai asked for the remaining humans to serve as their army. The humans were weak, but some taiyoukai took human women as mates. But the other humans and their descendants forgot the cooperation of the past and they only remembered how they lost their females to the demons. They say that it why we should hate one another now."

"So it's a big fight about girls," she replied. "How… juvenile."

"Agreed," he said.

"It's probably only an excuse," Kagome murmured. "If that is the way it happened, they were just jealous that taiyoukai were stronger."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

She shuddered and leaned into him. "The underworld must be a horrible place with all those cruel demons."

Words of comfort came to the tip of Sesshoumaru's tongue when Kagome sat up straight. Her eyes went wide. "What is it?" he asked.

"I forgot. That imp… he said something unusual and I just realized where he might be from," she said. "What did he say? Something about you being constrained by linear…"

"Cosmos," finished Sesshoumaru with a frown.

She nodded vigorously. "You said that those cruel demons were banished to the underworld, to hell, and to other shadowy realms. What does that mean?"

Sesshoumaru's frown deepened. "There are places between this world and the other worlds. The paths to hell and heaven are not direct, nor are they without danger. I suppose that is what it means."

"Do you think that time is one of those realms?" she asked earnestly.

"Time?" He blinked. "Time is the measure of life in this world. It is not a place."

Kagome nodded slowly, her eyes lowering in thought. "Yes, but there is no time in heaven or hell, right?"

"I have never been there, but that is my understanding."

"So time isn't everywhere. It's somewhere. Here. What if it's other places too?" she asked. Like in the well, she added silently.

He studied her for a moment. "I suppose that is possible. You think the imp is from this place where time comes from?"

"Sure, why not? It might not be an actual _place_," she said, her hands spreading wide. "But it could be in between worlds. Who knows? But a demon might be able to live there. It would explain his comment. And it would explain how he disappeared. He wasn't teleporting because there was a gap between his appearances. And he wasn't invisible because I would have still felt the jewel shard. That was bothering me. I can't believe it took me so long to figure out."

Sesshoumaru fixed her with a steady stare. "You were in pain while that imp… jumped through time. I think that's what you are proposing he did."

Kagome bit her lip. "That probably had something to do with the jewel shard jumping through time. It's connected to me," she said, trying not to lie. It could be the truth, she reasoned. Or just the jump in time hurt her because she was not supposed to be here. That's what the imp had said, she remembered. She sighed. "I don't know. Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Probably," he replied. "But this theory of yours is not what pushed you there."

"Jerk." Kagome nudged him in the ribs and then her eyes turned serious. "Really, do think it's a bad theory?"

Sesshoumaru took a breath. "No. It is logical, no matter how improbable. I would require more proof before we started fighting the creatures as time demons."

"Is there a different way to fight a time demon rather than a regular demon?" she asked.

"It will certainly require a different technique if more of those creatures can time jump like that one imp. If one sent you into that much agony, imagine one hundred," he said softly.

"Oh," she murmured, remembering the pain that felt like lightening shooting through her limbs. "Right. Let's avoid that. Perhaps Midoriko has an idea."

Sesshoumaru turned his face away. "Perhaps," he gritted out.

There was a short silence. The rain continued to pound down outside, but the air was so thick with tension that Kagome considered running out under the pouring sky. Even Akemi woke, her ears pricking up in interest.

"Why do you hate her?" she asked softly. "From what you told me, you had come to some sort of agreement with her when I was in trouble."

"You are no longer in danger," he said with his voice equally soft.

"Oh. So that means you're going to forget all the help she gave you?" she asked, slightly shrill. "I would have really, really died if it weren't for her. I mean, the kind of dead you never come back from."

"I know." He shifted uncomfortably. "I simply… do not trust her. Despite everything she has done for you. And it has nothing to do with the insults she has given me. I have far too thick a skin for that."

"Really? I'm not so sure," Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru gave her a sharp glance. "If she had been worth trusting, Kagome, I would gladly have done so after what she did for you. But she is not. It is instinct. I cannot explain it to a human properly."

"Try me!"

He took in her insistent, unforgiving tone. "My heart speaks to me," he said finally. "It has little to do with my intelligence or my skills as a scout or spy. I can be civil to anyone. I can fight with anyone. These things have nothing to do with trust. I can feel whether or not to trust someone and that is the true test. If you do not gain my trust, you can never truly gain anything else from me."

Kagome frowned. "Alright. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," he said immediately, with such force and passion that she would never doubt it again. "More than any other creature."

Her expression melted into a soft smile. "Thank you. I trust you too. More than any other creature," she replied, surprised to find that it was the truth.

"Inuyasha?" he asked inevitably.

She shrugged. "He's my best friend. I trust him. I do, really. But with you…" She paused and the smile broadened. "It's hard to explain. It's instinct. My heart speaks to me."

The corner of Sesshoumaru's lip turned up in a recognizable smile. She was teasing him, he knew, but she was also telling the truth. He watched as her grin softened and she leaned back against the rock, her eyes floating closed in contentment. Her fingers were buried in Akemi's fur.

"Sesshoumaru," she said, just as he thought she had fallen asleep. Her eyes remained closed.

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" she asked sleepily.

He took a breath. "I made a promise."

"It's gone beyond a promise now," she replied. "Most people would have run for the hills by now."

"I am not most people."

She smiled softly. "I know. Still," she murmured, yawning mid-word, "thank you."

Sesshoumaru remained silent and she slipped off to sleep.

For the rest of the afternoon, he thought about what he could have said. She was right, after all, it wasn't just his promise anymore.

_Because you are my friend, Kagome._

_Because protecting you is the most important task I have ever had, Kagome._

_Because I…_

He forced his thoughts to come to a halt. No, he chided himself. He could not feel that way. He could not love her. How many times must he remind himself of that crucial detail? She was his friend. Friends do things for one another without asking. That's the way he understood it anyway. And he thought he was doing a fairly good job with his first friendship too.

Sure, he was allowed to love her as a friend. He knew that. But that was toeing a dangerous line and he found that he could not even admit to that platonic emotion. How ridiculous that a small human girl could cripple a great taiyoukai this way. Perhaps, he thought wryly, the taiyoukai of legend felt the same way about their human mates.

Perhaps taiyoukai were not so strong after all.

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Kagome plunged the kimono into the stream and scrubbed it with her shrinking bar of soap. Soap, she would miss that. And shampoo and conditioner. And deodorant. Pretty much all things that fell under the heading of 'things that make other things or people clean and fresh.' All of those things and more would be gone forever from her life if she couldn't find the witch in the mountains. Soon too, or her heart might break.

She sighed. She wasn't sure what was breaking her heart. Or perhaps she simply didn't want to closely examine the reasons.

There was a rustle in the forest and Akemi lifted her head from where she was lying on the riverbank. Kagome brushed her hair back from her face and smiled softly. "Sesshoumaru?" she called. "Midoriko?"

"Oh sorry, miss," said a voice. A young girl in a rough brown kimono emerged from the trees, cradling a bucket in her arms. She lowered her eyes but still studied the half-dressed miko in the middle of the stream through her eyelashes. "I don't think I'm who you expected."

Kagome shook her head. "No, but that's all right," she replied. She used her miko senses to sweep across the girl's soul, finding it entirely human and mild. Kagome relaxed. Akemi huddled down in the tall grass, unwilling to have a small child interrupt her nap. "Does the village not have a well?" she asked, nodding towards the child's bucket.

"Everyone is crowding around it this time of day," the girl answered with shy smile. "Besides, I like the walk here. It's peaceful."

The miko nodded and returned the smile. "That's something I understand."

The girl sat down on the bank of the stream, not seeming at all interested in performing her chore. Kagome chose not to say anything about it, although if Sesshoumaru found her with one of the villagers, he was likely to blow a fuse. The entire morning had been spent on his warnings of danger as they walked to Midoriko's village. He had refused to let her accompany him to fetch the older miko even.

But this girl on the riverbank was not the same as the other villagers. Kagome felt no threat, and it was not only because she looked to be about eight years old. She was a pretty little thing, but not too pretty. She had an old look in her eye and although Kagome realized this might have been the result of the village's past horrors, she suspected that it wasn't. This girl was what her mother would call an 'old soul'.

"What's your name?" the miko asked.

"Ami. What's yours?"

The miko hesitated for a moment. Sesshoumaru had also told her not to let any of the villagers know she had survived their last encounter. "Kagome," she said softly. Oh, Sesshoumaru was going to kill her. "Do you live in the little village in the valley?" she asked quickly.

Ami shrugged. "Yes, but I don't like it. It's so quiet and sad."

No kidding, thought Kagome spitefully. Ami was different than the other children of the village, who were quiet and sad themselves. It was strange to see one child that escaped the fate of the others. Kagome suddenly wished to gather Ami in her arms.

Kagome squeezed the water out of her kimono and waded to the shore. "Why is it quiet and sad?" she asked, although she knew the answer already.

"Everyone fears demons, but the demons are everywhere," murmured the girl. She finally stood and dragged the bucket into the water.

"That's true of many villages," replied Kagome.

Ami seemed to suffer the same malady that most children did in that she never thought outside the confines of her own home. Her mouth pulled down in confusion at Kagome's comment before deciding that she would disregard it. "There was a demon a little bit ago," she said, her eyes growing wide. "He was tall and white like snow with fierce eyes."

Kagome glanced over. "You saw him?"

The little girl bit her lip. "He was here days and days ago and I didn't see him. Some of the men killed his friend and he was angry. The others say that he's coming back to kill us, but I saw him on my way here and he didn't look at me."

"I'm sure he wouldn't hurt anyone," Kagome said, lying through her teeth. "What about Lady Midoriko? She is in your village, right?"

Ami brightened, nodding vigorously. "Lady Midoriko is wonderful! She can do anything!" she replied, with a childish squeal. Her jubilant expression dropped almost immediately. "But Lady Midoriko won't do anything."

"Why not?"

"Because the demon's friend was also Lady Midoriko's friend," said Ami softly. "She says she deserves what she gets for letting her friend die."

We've taken too long, Kagome realized silently. Midoriko had lost hope. Perhaps Sesshoumaru would be able to convince her that he had been successful, but the miko knew she couldn't rely upon the taiyoukai to be diplomatic. "She might just feel guilty," she said aloud. "She'll protect you if necessary."

"I guess," Ami murmured, swinging the full bucket and splashing water on her clothes. Kagome turned to shake out her own kimono. "She's not just guilty for her friend dying though, she feels guilty that we're sad and quiet."

Kagome frowned and looked towards the little girl. "What do you mean?" asked the miko slowly. Ami's words were so strange, she wasn't sure she had heard correctly. Behind her, Akemi emerged from her hiding place. The little girl didn't take notice of the fire cat or the way her fur was standing on end. "Why would Midoriko feel guilty about that?"

Ami blinked and stood straight, looking far older than her physical appearance would suggest. "Because she's taken the past and tied it to the future," she said. "She's letting it drag the present down. It's all weight and it should only be a lesson. A bridge."

"A… a bridge?" Kagome murmured. Her heart was beating hard in her chest and she was suddenly very, very sure that this was _not_ a little girl.

"A bridge," repeated Ami. "Between the past and the future. We need to think of the past and the future in order to live in the present. If we forget any of it, we might destroy it all."

Kagome swallowed. "Who are you?"

Ami said nothing. Her fingers loosened and the bucket slipped to the ground, the water spilling down the bank and into the river. Kagome couldn't help but watch it flow down, between the grass and over the sand of the bank.

When the water stopped moving, Kagome looked up and saw that Ami was gone.

"Kagome-san?"

The miko blinked and saw Sesshoumaru and Midoriko stepping out of the trees. Sesshoumaru was looking irritated, yet smug while the elder miko had an expression very similar to Kagome's own. They stopped and looked at one another.

"Kagome-san!" Midoriko said again, rushing forward with her hands outstretched.

They both smiled and Kagome enclosed her friend in an embrace. "Midoriko, how are you?" she asked happily.

"I was so worried about you!" exclaimed the miko. "You took ages and then when Lord Sesshoumaru showed up with you… well, you can imagine how I felt. Kagome, I want you to know how horrible I feel. How guilty."

They pulled away from each other and they weren't smiling any longer. "I know," said the younger woman. "But you can just forget about everything to do with me and that village."

Sesshoumaru smirked at the elder miko's back. Although Midoriko was letting out a light breath of air, he had noticed that Kagome neither forgave nor said she would forget herself. She never would. He had warned her.

Kagome looked over Midoriko's shoulder to the taiyoukai. "Was everything alright there?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "They fear me, as I expected."

"They won't hurt you," said Midoriko. She lowered her eyes. "Again, that is."

The two women stood apart awkwardly for a few moments, searching for something to say. Kagome finally looked down at her feet to see her savior. "Oh! You must meet Akemi. We found her a few days ago. Her mother died helping Sesshoumaru and me fight the demons after us."

Midoriko studied the kitten, who had leapt up to Kagome's shoulder. Her exacting stare took in the double tail and strange ruby eyes. Her gaze floated up to Kagome, who calmly returned it. "She's… adorable," said the older miko, with an uneasy smile.

"I'm glad you think so," said Kagome. "She'll be with us for the rest of the trip."

Midoriko nodded. "Alright."

They looked at one another again and then to Sesshoumaru. He was standing with his arms crossed, with a rather impatient look on his face. "Are we ready then?" he drawled.

"Oh, yes. Alright," Kagome muttered. She scurried around for a moment, gathering her things and slipping on a dry outer kimono. The wet one was draped over her arm neatly for the time being. Finally, she was ready.

"What is this?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking towards Ami's abandoned bucket for the first time. Kagome knew that he had sensed the little girl's presence long before. It was actually comforting that he waited until now to bring it up. If she had been a threat, he would have ripped apart the forest to find the girl.

"We'll talk about it later," Kagome replied with a soft, reassuring smile. "Let's go."

They turned towards the mountain.

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A/N: Don't worry. I haven't cheated you out of seeing the villagers (and their reactions) again. Well, I might have. But probably not. Anyway, the important thing is that this chapter is finally done with. I've struggled so much with it, I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to scream. And I'm still not happy with it. But now I'm going to move on. Til then, review!


	15. The Darkness at Her Feet

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 15: The Darkness at Her Feet

"Concentrate."

"I _am_."

"No, you are not. Focus your energy on it. Don't do anything. Just feel your power in your hands."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, her fingertips dancing one inch above the pinecone in front of her. Her face was turning red.

"Remember to breathe," muttered Midoriko.

The miko took a deep breath and the alarming color began to fade. Her hands began to glow the softest of pink. Across the clearing, on the other side of the fire, Sesshoumaru and Akemi shifted back. "Okay, now what?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Nothing. Just hold it there. Just at the tips of your fingers."

Kagome clenched her jaw and began to sweat. Little gasps of breath drew Sesshoumaru's attention. "Stop it," he ordered, his golden eyes narrowed.

Midoriko glared at him, but rested a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alright, Kagome. Draw it back," she said.

The younger miko let out one last heavy breath and sat back, her hands dropping into her lap. "That was hard," she murmured. "Especially the last part."

"You cannot always gather enough power immediately. If you are not patient, you can lose that power and your advantage over a demon," Midoriko said, sitting back and tending to the fire.

"Thank you." Kagome rolled her neck and sighed as the joints popped. "I hope that I'll get better with practice."

"You already have surpassed many priestesses that I have known," said the elder woman.

Kagome shrugged. "You're better than I could ever be," she murmured.

Midoriko took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her teeth. "I hope that you are never forced to learn as I did, through pure necessity and fear for your life." She frowned for a moment before her eyes flickered back to Kagome's face and she smiled softly. "You are doing very well, Kagome. You have a great power."

"I know," she replied. She stretched and stood up. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed. There's a stream that way, right?" She pointed to the east.

Sesshoumaru and Midoriko both got to their feet and looked at one another. "Where are you going?" growled the taiyoukai.

"To take Kagome to the stream," replied the miko with a suspicious tone.

"I will take her."

Midoriko's eyes widened. "A male demon taking a human woman alone into the woods at night?" she asked, incredulous. "How indecent! You will not take her."

Kagome watched as the muscle in Sesshoumaru's jaw twitched. He was trying not to mock her, she knew, and point out that they had been alone together for many nights now. Kagome had made him promise to remain civil with the elder miko. He was clearly biting his tongue. She stepped forward. "Midoriko, you can take me, but Akemi will lead me back. I can sense danger on my own and I can protect myself, I just don't know where the stream is."

"I will not have you alone out there," Sesshoumaru started.

"And I won't be," interrupted Kagome gently. She gave him a plaintive look. "Akemi will be with me. You'll be nearby."

She was sure to direct this last comment to the taiyoukai, hoping that it would make him feel that he was more important than the miko. It worked and he relaxed. "Call, if you need anything," he said, his voice edged with protectiveness.

"I will," she replied, gathering up her things. She flashed him a disarming smile as Midoriko floated across the clearing and led the way into the darkness.

It took several moments for Kagome's eyes to adjust to the black night, even with the help of the small shafts of moonlight coming through the treetops. The sounds of night enclosed them as the fire fluttered out of sight behind them. Midoriko moved with patience and confidence ahead of the younger miko. Kagome tried to follow her example, picking her way through the trees, which she could only do by avoiding the darkest shadows against the midnight background.

"Are you doing alright?" asked Midoriko softly, not wanting to disturb the nocturnal creatures around them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," murmured Kagome.

The older miko paused for a moment. "How were your travels with Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked, her voice almost polite as she said the taiyoukai's name. Kagome could tell though that Midoriko had been itching to ask this all day.

"Fine. I'm not sure what you expect me to say. I told you what happened."

"You didn't tell me all of it, Kagome-san," replied the other woman.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking for gossip?"

"Is there gossip to be had?" Midoriko asked. She stopped in her path and turned to look at her young companion. Her face shone white in the dim light and Kagome could see her small frown. "He was honorable?"

"Of course. He always is."

"I know that he is for you. Forgive me, Kagome-san. I know that I owe the demon a lot for saving you. I will not forget that." She paused and looked up, letting the moon fall onto her forehead and cheekbones. "You should have seen him, Kagome-san. The fear. The unbridled rage. And the compassion that I am certain he will only ever feel for you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "He didn't tell me that part."

"No. He wouldn't though, would he? He is a demon. More importantly, he is a male. He would not talk what he felt in that moment. He might not have been aware of it himself." She paused again, testing Kagome's impatience. "But such boundless emotion comes from that demon, Kagome-san. You must be careful. His control could break. I am glad that it has not yet happened."

The thought of Sesshoumaru losing control brought a small smile to her face. "He'll never lose control. Not for anyone," she replied.

"Hmm. I hope that you are correct. He could hurt you, even unintentionally. Or himself," she added with a shrug. She turned away again. "It happens though. Demons can't help themselves and only the strongest can resist for so long."

"Well, thank you for the warning, but I don't think I have to worry," said Kagome as they began to walk again.

"I hope not." With that, she fell silent.

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Sesshoumaru took another log and placed in it the midst of the fire, not flinching as the flames licked at his bare skin. The two miko had not noticed, but the temperature was dropping every day. The long autumn was coming to a close and soon winter would hit. It wouldn't be any easier if they stayed in the mountains for very long. Even now, Kagome was probably stepping into an extremely icy stream.

He frowned at that thought and added a few more logs to the fire, letting it burn bright. She would be warm when she returned then.

He settled back against a tree trunk. He wanted to go look for Kagome, but he knew that she would scold him for not trusting her and the other miko. Unless she called for him, he would have to sit and wait.

Or if she took too long, he added silently. Then he had a legitimate reason to go after her.

He just didn't want her to remain alone with the other miko. One day with Midoriko had not warmed him to trust the elder miko. She had been quiet and awkward all day, seemingly caught between her continuing hatred of youkai and the fact that Sesshoumaru had lived up to his oath and saved Kagome. She was unsure of how to act around the taiyoukai. Refusing to allow him to accompany Kagome to the stream was the first argument they had had all day.

But civility didn't win his friendship and certainly not his trust. While his own soul sat half in shadow, Midoriko toed the line of the light and dark with unnerving casualty. At least he was _honest_ about not being a good creature, he thought smugly. Midoriko seemed to not see her own flaws at all. That formed the base of his deep distrust.

_Everyone_ has flaws. _Everyone_ has evil within his heart. Ignoring these facts only meant you would fall into darkness more swiftly.

Except Kagome, he mused. Of course she had flaws. But she could stand on the edge of the abyss and step away without even looking down into the darkness at her feet. She had a strength that made even his father tremble.

Of course, it was also the sort of strength that allowed her to go around trusting creatures like intolerant miko, shameless wolves and cruel taiyoukai. Speaking of which…

He lifted his head and frowned. The intolerant miko should be back by now. Kagome could take as long as she wished, but Midoriko could have walked five times to and from the stream at this point. While he could smell Kagome's scent, along with all those strange, foreign soaps she used, he could no longer sense Midoriko.

An ill wind was blowing down the mountain from the north, unsettling his stomach. He stood and moved towards its source, his feet speeding up with every step, despite the knowledge that he should remain at camp for Kagome's return. Something urged him forward and his eyes narrowed as he took precautions to conceal his presence in the forest.

The trees seemed to make way for him, opening and pulling away from his path so that his footfalls were silent. An owl flew overhead, swooping down to capture a rabbit that gave a squeal of fear so loud it almost pierced his eardrums. But the rabbit was dead in a moment and he decided to take it as a good omen. He was on what would be a successful hunt.

A familiar scent wafted under his nose and he paused, sniffing the air again. Green tea and metal – the scent of Midoriko.

What was she doing out here, so far from the camp? His lip lifted in a silent snarl as he stalked forward, preparing to break his promise of civility. He had never promised the older miko his protection, but he had been willing to give it as long as Kagome wanted her safety. For her to wander out of his senses was the utmost foolishness, especially on this cold mountain. Her departure reeked of disrespect, for both him and Kagome.

He stopped short a moment later when a second scent intertwined with the first. It was pungent and offensive, although someone had clearly gone through the effort of trying to conceal such a scent. Sesshoumaru covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to avoid the smell of what was clearly a demon.

He frowned. Why was Midoriko with a demon? More importantly, why did he not smell her purification powers burning the youkai's flesh?

The taiyoukai advanced carefully, walking into the shadows and restraining his scent and aura. There were no sounds of a struggle, no cries for help from either creature. Perhaps Midoriko was lying in wait for this demon herself. It was powerful though. Strong enough to take on the miko even. He could feel the pulse of its strong aura.

"… Kagome…"

Sesshoumaru's head jerked up. That was the miko's voice. She was _speaking_ with this demon! About Kagome, no less. A lower voice replied, but he could not distinguish words yet.

He drew his sword in silence and crept forward.

"… than I had imagined…"

"… of something creative…"

Midoriko's voice suddenly rose in pitch and he no longer had to strain to hear. He took advantage of the increased volume and moved faster through the trees. "You aren't listening to me! Don't you know who she has the protection of?"

A deep, rumbling laugh. Sesshoumaru was close enough now to hear the demon's response. "That whelp? I remember when he was but a pup." Another laugh and then a brief silence as the demon turned serious. "I know his weaknesses. Use them."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as the demon began to list his most serious injuries, ones that still ached to this day. The ligament in his knee that had been torn completely when an over-enthusiastic sparring partner attacked before the mark. The pierced liver when he received a spear through his torso during his very first battle. Even the dislocated shoulder from when he was still a child, when he fell from a cherry tree. Finally, the demon spoke of Kagome putting her hands upon the taiyoukai and purifying the shard.

Midoriko gave a soft gasp. "She did not mention that."

"I wouldn't expect she did."

He heard the miko stamp her foot and he moved ever forward, intent upon catching a glimpse of the pair. "What do you expect me to do? Fight him hand to hand? If I killed him, all it would take is a simple touch."

"Then why are you complaining?" sneered the demon.

"Because he is the son of the Western Lord! I will never be able to rest again. I will die at the hands of their assassins, even if it takes Lord Toga a thousand attempts."

The demon chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that too much."

Sesshoumaru moved to his left and finally, his eyes found the traitorous miko and the demon. He was not surprised to see that it was another of those imp creatures, with its beaky mouth and orange bulbous eyes. What did Kagome think they were? Ah, time demons. But no matter what they were, this one was larger and far more powerful than the last one they encountered. And it was holding Midoriko around the waist almost _tenderly_.

He resisted the urge to retch.

"I don't care about your plans to conquer the world. Lord Toga is still a concern for me," Midoriko was saying. She looked fairly uncomfortable with the proximity of the imp, but was not pushing away. "And I know you don't care if I die at the hands of some assassin, as long as I've done my part."

"If I truly did not care about that," murmured the demon, lowering his hideous beaky jaws to her ear, "I would have killed you by now. After all, you have done nothing but fail in your part. In fact, you have helped the enemy survive."

Midoriko glared up at him. "Well, what was I _supposed _to do? He had already killed two of the men, men of _my _village, right there in front of me! He would have snapped my neck if I hadn't helped."

Sesshoumaru was resisting just that impulse as she spoke. He knew it! That little viper, he growled inwardly. He knew she couldn't be trusted. And yet, even he didn't think that her treachery could go to such limits. Kagome would be heartbroken. And that made him angrier than he thought possible. The hilt of his sword began cutting into his hand.

"Ah, but she would have died too," said the demon.

Midoriko turned her head away, disgust evident on her face. "Well, you haven't done a very good job yourself. She _incinerated_ your army."

The demon waved one clawed hand dismissively. "Her death would have been simply a bonus. The object was to get the shards. And I did." He paused. "I admit that my cousin failed to dispatch her from this world and even gave back one shard, but that is no matter. Next time, you will not fail."

"You still expect me to do this?" she asked, shrill.

The imp grinned, his fangs showing at the corners of his mouth. "Of course. You are the most advantageously placed assassin I have." The smile faded. "You could have done it tonight. You were alone with her."

She gave him a furious glare. "Sesshoumaru was close by and I refuse to die for you!"

He laughed. "Sometime, Midoriko my dear, you must recover from this human fear of death. Sooner or later it will find you."

"I would prefer later," the miko said. "Although with you around, I'm sure that it won't work out that way."

"So little faith," admonished the demon.

Midoriko frowned. "I lost my faith long ago," she said softly. "And you have taken away everything else I have held dear, except my very life."

The imp snorted and finally released her. "You tire me," he sneered. "Just do your part."

"I don't know if I can!" she replied hotly, her hands curling into fists. "She's my friend."

"Don't be ridiculous," growled the imp. "You cannot be friends with someone you are supposed to kill. And you _will _kill that little brat, Midoriko. I don't care how you do it. Make it look like an accident. Or slit her throat. Just do it and I will request nothing more of you. For the time being."

The muscle in the miko's jaw jumped. "You promised me!"

"Why would I release such an asset? Even if you seem to be a rather troublesome asset," the demon growled.

Sesshoumaru watched in raging silence as Midoriko turned away. Above the crown of her head a bird hovered in the air for a moment before changing directions. The taiyoukai frowned. The wind was changing. Soon, the demon would be able to smell him.

He moved back slowly, trying to hide himself from sight. He had heard enough anyway. Just as the trees covered his view, he heard a short sniff, then a rustle of leaves.

"What is it?" asked Midoriko.

"It seems that the whelp has been spying on us," came the gruff reply.

Midoriko let out a small cry of alarm. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" she cried. "But he'll…"

Sesshoumaru didn't wait to hear what the miko thought he would do. He turned and ran.

_Kagome is alone_, he repeated to himself over and over. He had to get to her before that demon got to her, or more importantly, before that horrible woman got to her. Her hesitance aside, the taiyoukai was certain that the wretched miko would do whatever the time demon wanted her to do. Whatever the time demon had against Midoriko was so powerful that not even Kagome's kindness could overcome it.

Sesshoumaru couldn't fight Midoriko though. The most he could do against the miko would be to warn Kagome and to hope that he had taught her well. As for the time demon... well, he might be able to defeat a creature that could literally appear at any choice moment. Maybe.

Kagome would be crushed. She was far too innocent for this sort of betrayal. And she had fought so hard against his own misgivings about Midoriko. He wished he could tell the little miko that he hadn't expected it, that he had been as equally as surprised that Midoriko was an enemy. But Sesshoumaru couldn't shake the feeling that the fear had been at the back of his head the entire time. And perhaps that, more than anything else - even Midoriko's hatred for demons - made him feel the way he did about her.

He would never trust a miko again, not even for the briefest of moments. Religion had nothing to do with virtue.

Behind him, as he grew angrier, there was only silence. The wind was working against him now, sending his scent backwards like a blazing trail for the time demon to find. But still, there was no movement and no sound. For the moment that Sesshoumaru did not think about the ways to slaughter Midoriko for her betrayal, he realized that the silence was probably not a good thing.

He set his jaw and put on one last burst of speed, so fast that the trees rattled behind him. When he materialized on the bank of the stream, he grabbed Kagome's arm and jerked her up, ignoring her hideous shriek of alarm. White foam sprayed from her mouth.

"Sessoumaroo," she cried, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. The arm that he had grabbed was gripping what Sesshoumaru vaguely recognized as her tooth-cleaning tool. She was dressed in her sleeping attire. "Wod de 'ell?"

"Midoriko has betrayed us to the time demon," he informed her. "We must leave immediately."

Kagome's eyes grew rather wide and vacant as she turned her head and spit the rest of her toothpaste into the stream, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "No," she said. "That's impossible. She would never do that."

"I just witnessed her rendezvous with the creature. She has been under orders this entire time to kill you. She simply has not managed it yet."

Kagome pulled her arm from his grasp with a furious glare. "Sesshoumaru, I know you don't like her…"

"This has nothing to do with that!" he growled. "Although I admit my hate for her has increased a thousand fold in the last few minutes alone, that does not change the fact that she is our enemy. _Your_ enemy. She is your assassin!"

She finally blinked. "But… she's my friend…" she said, her voice small and trembling.

Sesshoumaru softened slightly. "I know you are disappointed, but we cannot think on this here. She knows where you are and she has a time demon on her side, if you are correct in your theory. Even if you are not, the creature is incredibly powerful. It is unlikely that I could defeat it alone."

"Did it have the shards?" she asked, her head jerking up. Her eyes were now unusually clear and bright.

He frowned as he considered it. He had been around the shards for so long that he almost lost his perception of them. "No," he said finally. "The power seemed to come entirely from the demon."

Kagome crouched down at the stream and rinsed off her toothbrush before putting it back in her bag. "Midoriko isn't doing this for herself. It's that demon."

"I know." He caught her sharp look and gave a half-hearted shrug. "What does it matter, Kagome, what her motivations are? She is trying to kill you. You have an interest in living. I have an interest in protecting you. We must leave. Now. Several moments ago, actually."

The miko nodded and picked up her bag. "Okay. Let's go then," she said. Sesshoumaru noticed that her cheeks were shining with tears and he damned Midoriko before taking her in his arms. "What're you…?"

"Hush. This takes concentration," he murmured, closing his eyes. "Where is Akemi?"

"At our feet," Kagome replied softly, looking down to see the kitten waiting patiently. "Why?"

"I must know where you are exactly," he said, opening one golden eye to briefly check the fire-cat's position.

"Wh—ooh!" Kagome grabbed at the front of Sesshoumaru's haori as a cloud formed beneath their feet and lifted the three of them off the ground. "Sesshoumaru!"

"Hush," he repeated, although his arms tightened around her waist in a comforting way.

The cloud grew and grew, gaining surface area and thickness. The cottony mist enveloped Kagome's feet and Akemi up to her shoulder. It sailed higher and higher, straight up until they got above the tree line, when it began to move north. It was colder above the forest and Kagome pressed herself against the taiyoukai, her arms wrapping around him and into his fur pelt. Her breath began to form in the air, its moisture clinging to the fine hairs of the pelt against her face. She felt Akemi wrap herself around her ankle.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Kagome looked up to see a calm taiyoukai, his eyes open and fixed on her. She shuddered. "Sit." He pulled her down next to him and wrapped his pelt around her shoulders, so that she swam in the white fur.

"I didn't know you could do this," she murmured, finally tearing her eyes away from his to look around. The forest was moving rather slowly but steadily below them. Above them, most of the sky was obscured by its own clouds, but the moon broke through with a few bright stars.

Sesshoumaru nodded, fixing his eyes on the far horizon that Kagome could not see in the darkness. "It is difficult for me to do, especially when there are others with me," he said. "And it is not the best way to travel. It tires me quickly because I have not fully developed this power. But I thought we should get away from the stream and not leave an obvious trail."

Kagome nodded. Tears began to fall again. "I just… can't believe we're running away from Midoriko."

"We are regrouping," the taiyoukai corrected. "I would never run from that…"

"Please don't," she interrupted. "I still care for her."

"She is trying to kill you," he argued. "As I said, it does not matter what her motivations are. There are only two sides to this coin."

She shook her head. "No, I refuse to believe that. I want to talk to her."

Sesshoumaru sighed. It was no use to fight about this. Kagome would believe the best of everyone until they finally and actually stabbed her in the back. He chose a different tack. "Just do not do anything without my presence. I know that she would easily purify me, but she seems to fear me." He made a slight grimace. "Or rather, she fears my father's retribution if I should die by her hand."

"Tell me what you heard," Kagome requested. "Please."

"Not now," he said. "I weaken by the moment and I will need energy when we land. Just in case."

She nodded and looked away. "Where are we going?"

"To find the witch," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Kagome frowned. "But how do we even know that she exists? Midoriko is the one that told me about her." She paused and the frown grew more despondent. "It was all her idea."

"That does not mean that it was… a _bad _idea," he replied hesitantly. "Not necessarily."

"But what if this is a wild goose chase?" she asked. "What if there is no witch? Or what if she exists but she can't do anything to help us?"

Sesshoumaru considered this for a moment. "You say that the miko has not put her heart into killing you," he said softly. Kagome nodded vigorously out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps… not everything she said was a lie. Perhaps she truly wishes to help you. Perhaps we should put our faith in this."

Kagome smiled sadly. "You've been with me for too long," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Well," he groused, "do you have a better idea?"

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A/N: It's a shorter chapter, but there are huge things in there obviously. Any more and I would have shown my entire hand. (Don't think that I don't have any more surprises! I do! I promise!) Anyway, unlike the last chapter, which was the writing equivalent of fighting a Hydra, I'm quite pleased with this one. Please review! Next chapter – the bad guy shows up. Finally! Haha.

Oh, and for those of you asking how long this story is going to be… Hmm. I foresee about 7 more chapters after this. Might be more or less though.


	16. The Time Demon

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 16: The Time Demon

Twenty minutes later, the cloud drifted back down between the trees and the human, the taiyoukai and the fire-cat stepped onto solid ground again. Kagome frowned at the ghostly pine trees. The needles crunched beneath her feet with no grass to muffle the noise. They had gone far up the mountainside.

"I'm guessing the witch lives at the top," Kagome murmured.

"If it is this mountain at all. We are without our guide." He noticed the distress in her expression and quickly added, "But I will find the witch if she exists."

She took his hand for the first time since they had returned to Midoriko's village and nodded. "Okay. Then, for now, we go up."

Sesshoumaru agreed and they began the trek up the side of the mountain. It was advancing towards the early hours of the morning, however, and Kagome's frequent yawns began to worry him. "Do you need to rest?" he asked her.

"I'm fine for a little while."

"If they attack when you are tired…"

"I'll wake up fast," she interrupted. "Don't worry about me. Not yet."

They were both silent for a few moments. "That is one request I cannot fulfill," Sesshoumaru murmured at last. He kept his eyes forward as Kagome stared at him. "Every time I fail to worry, you are injured in some way. Or I am," he added quickly.

Kagome smiled. "Oh. Okay. Well, if that's why you're worried…"

"You know perfectly well it is not," he interrupted.

The miko's smile faded, but her eyes began to shine. He tried not to see it. "I know." She took a deep breath and looked straight ahead again. "Maybe we can get to the tree line before dawn."

"Maybe," he replied.

Kagome looked up to where she guessed the mountain peak would be, if there weren't trees in the way. "I'm so scared that she won't be there. That she can't help me," she murmured. "I'll never see my friends again. I'll never live up to my responsibilities."

He squeezed her hand. "Witches do not monopolize all wisdom in this world. I will take you wherever you need to go to find your way to your friends, Kagome. I know of several wise youkai that might help. There are demons older than this land. One of them will know."

She shook her head. "No, you can't do that. Your father needs you. You have your own obligations. If this doesn't work… well, I'll just search on my own."

"I will not leave you," he said, his tone fierce and soft. "I am bound to your quest as much as you are by now. I cannot abandon it as long as a path exists."

The miko smiled sadly at her moving feet. "I'm not like you, Sesshoumaru. I don't live forever. Eventually, I must abandon my responsibilities, even if it's death that does it for me." She let out a long breath. "It might be sooner than that. I can't wander like this forever. Never mind that I can't, but I also don't want to. I've always prided myself that whatever this quest took from me, I was more than just the miko assigned to it. I have a life aside from these damn shards. I don't want you to think that I would give up. But soon, I would want my life back."

"If you told me what you are doing…"

"You know I can't," she interrupted with a kind look.

He nodded, having expected the answer. "Then… if you do stay here, you could stay with me," he said. He caught her surprised look out of the corner of his eye. "You could stay in the West, I mean. My father and the court will be there too. He likes you. You would be more than welcome and you would have a good life. Friends and a place in the court too. I'm sure that my father would find the advice of a human miko helpful," he added, speaking rather quickly.

Kagome smiled broadly and leaned against his arm. "Thank you for the offer," she murmured, her cheek resting against his shoulder.

"An offer you won't accept," he replied, his brow creasing with rejection.

The miko sighed and pulled away. "I… I don't know, Sesshoumaru. I don't think I'm ready to accept or reject such an offer. It's not over yet, after all. I haven't given up hope that I will find my way home."

"I see." He began to loosen his fingers from where they wrapped around her hand.

She held on tightly. "I would like to," she said quickly, blushing. He stopped trying to pull free of her grasp and looked at her. "I would like to," she said again. "To stay with you – and your father and the court, of course – would be wonderful. I can't think of anything I would rather do. I'm so very tired of these shards and everything they mean."

His expression softened. "You are honorable, Kagome, even in times when I could not be."

She smiled. "I think there are some things that could make me abandon everything gladly," she said. "Some things… I would choose in an instant, if I could."

They had stopped moving, although neither of them was sure when that had happened. The taiyoukai's golden eyes flashed in the dark as he turned to look at her. "I am familiar with that feeling," he replied softly.

Kagome's breathing became shallow. "I wonder if we would be happy," she said. "If we didn't have those responsibilities and could do what we wanted."

"This Sesshoumaru is always sure of his choices, even ones that I cannot make," he said. "So yes, I would be happy. I can only hope that you would find happiness with your choice as well."

Kagome suddenly realized how close they were as his breath brushed her cheek. She felt a bit faint. "I would be happy too," she managed to say.

Sesshoumaru's fingertips touched her neck, sliding up into her hair. He closed his eyes briefly as her silky tresses wound around his hand. Kagome's soft sigh pulled him close, his forehead touching hers.

He opened his eyes when her hands appeared on his chest, right beneath his collarbone. She was breathless and flushed and beautiful. Why had this taken him so long? Why hadn't he listened to his father, just for once? "Kagome," he murmured, leaning towards her.

It came at the worst possible moment.

Pain. Blinding pain. Kagome cried out and crumpled forward into a surprised taiyoukai. She gasped for air and grasped his haori as support rather than in passion as they both wished. "Kagome?" he murmured, his nose filling with her distressed scent. "Kagome, forgive me."

She shook her head against his chest, trying to let him know that it was nothing that he had done. All she could manage was a breathy 'no' before his head jerked up. Now he sensed it too.

"Who is there?" he called, doing his best to support the pained miko while sounding intimidating at once. "Who is threatening the son of the Western Lands?"

Kagome wept against his body. It wasn't like the last time, when the pain had been sharp but transient. This paralyzed her heart, like a snake burying its fangs into its victim one last time before making its meal. Sesshoumaru held her, his claws tearing through her simple cotton kimono, betraying his uncertainty.

"Nameless."

The voice had lost all of the lighthearted cruelty from the conversation He straightened his spine and peered into the dark. "'Nameless' is no answer," he replied.

"No answer is really necessary," said the time demon, stepping from the forest with more grace than expected from one of his size. A shadow moved behind him. Midoriko, most likely, but it could just as easily be more of his kind. "There are no introductions here. I have come to kill the girl. I have nothing to do with you, dog-child."

Sesshoumaru lifted his chin. "You will not harm her," he said.

"Do not be tiresome," snapped the other demon. "Your ancestors robbed me of my name and my place. I have as much right to kill you as the girl, but my only concern is with her tonight. You may leave."

The taiyoukai looked down at the miko and gently pried her away. "Kagome," he said. "Stand on your own. I cannot defend you like this."

"Fool," hissed the time demon. "Do not anger me."

Sesshoumaru's head whipped around to face so-called Nameless, his eyes blazing. "I do not see why it is a problem for you. You plan to conquer this earth, and so you will need to defeat me anyway. I can only imagine that you are upset because you fear what Kagome and I can accomplish together instead of apart."

Kagome's pain was finally fading and she was able to look at their foe. He was powerful, just as Sesshoumaru said. And yet he still didn't have the shards. She could have wept again.

"Accomplish together?" Nameless asked and finally, his severity cracked. His eyes alighted with sadistic amusement as Kagome moved slowly, like an old woman. "Your companion can hardly walk."

"I can do a lot more than that," growled Kagome, surging with a strength that made Sesshoumaru proud. Her hands began to glow pink as she advanced upon the time demon.

Metal sang behind her and she knew that Sesshoumaru had drawn his sword. She smiled, but was secretly disheartened to see that Nameless did not flinch. No army emerged from the trees. Not even a few soldiers. Did he really expect that he could kill them on his own? His confidence bruised hers.

But Kagome kept walking, her feet gaining surety against the earth as the taiyoukai followed. She summoned her deepest power, feeling as if her heart was draining for her sake. Still, the demon remained in place.

She cried out again before she got within five feet of the unmoving youkai. Pain shot through her entire body again as she was slammed sideways into a tree, jamming her shoulder. She slid down the trunk and cowered into the bark.

Midoriko stood above her. "Get up," she said tonelessly. "Get up or I will kill you here."

Kagome pressed her palms into the dirt and lifted herself off the ground. Behind Midoriko, Sesshoumaru was already locked in battle with Nameless. His blade was flat against Nameless's palms, which the time demon was pushing back successfully. "Sesshoumaru needs me," she said, staring at the elder miko. "We can help him together. Please, Midoriko. This is ridiculous."

"It's what I must do to save my village," the other woman murmured, her voice and eyes hollow. She stepped back and drew her sword. "But I will not explain myself to you."

"I think I'm the one that deserves it!" Kagome said. "How can you be allies with that thing?"

"I will not explain myself to you!" Midoriko cried, charging forward.

Kagome froze for a moment before Sesshoumaru's words rang through the air. "Kagome, run!"

She turned and took off through the forest, much like that first day in this deep past when she had met Sesshoumaru. This time, she was not running from an armor-clad samurai, but a strong young miko who was far more familiar with the mountain than Kagome.

She wished for a sword. For anything that would help her keep Midoriko's blade away from her throat. It was strange thinking of Midoriko as her killer, but it was becoming the likely truth. Midoriko was close behind. Kagome could feel the crackle of her miko power against her own weaker power. She felt the tendrils of darkness that were taking root in her former friend's power too.

"Kagome, stop! You cannot run forever!" It was more of a plea than a mocking truth.

The footsteps following her paused and Kagome distanced herself before turning to face the traitor. It was only the lack of mirth in Midoriko's voice that made Kagome stop. This wasn't meant to be a gloating showdown between the two miko, although Kagome couldn't help the venomous words that came from her mouth. "Why? Do you have demons here that will help kill me?" she asked. "You… _coward_."

"I don't need anyone else to kill you," said Midoriko, lowering her eyes briefly. "You know that I will defeat you if we engage in a battle."

"Overconfidence has killed a lot of supposed victors," Kagome said harshly. "Sesshoumaru has been training me. I think he expected this, somewhere in the back of his mind. I should have listened!"

"I don't want to do this!" snapped Midoriko. She raised her sword but it wavered in her grasp.

"Then don't!" screamed Kagome, losing the tenuous control that had held her back since discovering her friend's betrayal. "I thought you had some brains! All that posturing about demons, when you sleep with the worst of them!"

The sword almost slipped from her fingers. "No! I have never…"

"Now you want to explain yourself?" interrupted the younger miko incredulously. "Just kill me. Or try it, if you can."

Midoriko faltered, glancing back over her shoulder.

Kagome waited patiently for Midoriko's dark eyes to turn back to her. "He's not coming," she said quietly, although it was unclear which demon she was referring to.

"He'll kill me," Midoriko replied, just as softly and just as vague.

"Everyone dies, Midoriko. You'd be lucky to choose when it happens."

Midoriko shook her head and her grasp around the sword strengthened. "No! He told me that you would do this! Stop trying to defeat me with guilt! Either fight or just stand there as I kill you."

Kagome took a breath, suddenly very calm, opposed to Midoriko's increasing distress. "Do you really think my death will improve whatever deal you've made with Nameless? Do you think he will live up to it?"

"Now you are trying to put doubt into me. It won't work!" she said shrilly, even as the sword began to sway again.

The younger woman shrugged. "Just decide, Midoriko."

She hesitated for a moment before sheathing her sword again. Kagome almost breathed a silent sigh of relief, but the elder miko spoke. "I can't do this with a sword. You can live through that." Her hands began to glow pink.

Kagome frowned. "You can't…"

The light spread over Midoriko's body in a flash and turned a violent shade of purple, a shade that Kagome recognized from entanglements with dark miko over the years. Tainted power, she realized with a heavy heart. So Midoriko had made a choice and it was not the one Kagome expected or desired.

Kagome summoned her power with more ease than ever before and her entire frame burst into a pink flame all at once. "I've been practicing more than just swordsmanship," she said coldly, in response to Midoriko's surprised glance. "You should have expected that."

And like that, the time for discussion had come to an end.

Midoriko swung forward, a ball of hateful energy detaching from her limb and blazing towards Kagome. The younger miko turned her face away and effortlessly raised a shield, letting the ball shattered and spill over it. The shield shimmered and faded as Midoriko's effort slid to the ground.

The two miko looked at one another. Kagome had an air of ruthless determinedness while Midoriko possessed only anger. Kagome realized that the energy burst had only been a test, to see if she had really been practicing. Thank Kami she had, she realized. Her time with Sesshoumaru seemed to naturally sharpen her powers, even beyond what she had done purposefully. It was coming so easily to her fingertips.

But Midoriko was far more comfortable with her power than Kagome. She raised her hands into the sky and brought down a shower of purple sparks. Kagome threw up another shield, which hissed as each spark rained down. It was weakening far faster than the first one. Midoriko was not holding back this time.

Kagome closed her eyes and moved the shield, flipping it like an inverted umbrella and tipping it sharply back towards Midoriko. The older woman had to dodge her own weapon, losing concentration in the process and the rain stopped.

They were both breathing very hard. Even if it was easier to bring forth the magical projections, to make corporeal objects with miko power was incredibly draining and they knew they could not do this for long. Kagome decided that she must go on the offensive.

Guilt gripped her as her energy flowed into her hands, which now glowed so brightly that they weren't visible. Kagome realized that she must look like her hands were on fire as she advanced.

If only she could touch Midoriko, she thought. Perhaps that would purify her energy. And – this was even less likely – Midoriko would not be harmed.

The elder miko seemed to sense Kagome's intentions and, despite her earlier words, drew her sword again. "Don't come close," she warned.

"Why not? This is what you're supposed to do," Kagome replied, slowing slightly.

Midoriko relaxed slightly when she saw this, but Kagome took her chance, suddenly pressing the soles of her feet against the ground and propelling herself forward with her arms outstretched. She felt a burning all over her body as their contrasting energies collided. Midoriko screamed, loud enough to alert the entire mountain. Kagome thought she heard her name called out somewhere in the distance.

She grasped the hand Midoriko used to hold the sword, trying to force it away. The metal bit into her and she cried out softly before looking at her opponent.

The other miko looked terrified and in pain. Kagome realized belatedly that her own miko power was overpowering Midoriko's, wrapping around her body and diluting the venomous purple hues. Midoriko was suffering under her touch, screaming again and again. Kagome shut her eyes briefly and turned away, concentrating on the hand that held the sword tightly. Midoriko was far stronger than Kagome and, had she not been in blinding pain, she would have surely overcome the younger woman by now.

And suddenly, Kagome was in pain too and she yelled for Sesshoumaru, before she even knew what she was saying. It was the same paralytic seizing that accompanied the time demon's jumps and she whimpered, hoping that Sesshoumaru was all right. As long as he's okay, she repeated to herself, knowing Nameless was coming close.

Her grip had loosened and Midoriko was recovering. There was a flash of silver and Kagome cried out again, falling back. There was blood coming from somewhere and the sword dripped the hot liquid onto Kagome. Kagome felt sleepy and she foggily thought that that was the last thing she needed.

Midoriko was standing over her, the blade hanging loosely in her fingers. "Just finish it," she was saying to herself, again and again. "Then it'll be over. All over."

Sesshoumaru couldn't come this time, Kagome realized. Wherever he was, Nameless had made it impossible for him to follow. He would never forgive himself if she died.

She was awake again with the thought of Sesshoumaru's all-consuming guilt. Springing up, almost comically fast, she ripped the sword from Midoriko's limp hand, not caring the blade was cutting into her own flesh. Midoriko had only taken one step back before Kagome turned the sword around and lunged forward from her place on the forest floor.

It was the oddest feeling, watching her hand shove a metal blade through someone else's gut. Terrifying and guilt-ridden, but also a relief. She wouldn't die here and now, she was certain.

Kagome stood as Midoriko, wide-eyed and quiet, fell to her knees. The sword slipped out and the blood of the two miko mingled. But before Midoriko could say a word, or even fall further, Kagome turned back the way she came and ran.

There was a tingle at the back of her neck right before the next shot of pain came. But she expected this one and she continued to run, her heart pounding so loudly in her ears that she barely heard the roar of frustration behind her as Nameless came upon Midoriko.

_I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. I killed her. Oh, Kami, I did that. Please, no._

"Sesshoumaru!" she screamed as another pain numbed her heart. Nameless was gone. For now, at least. She wouldn't let herself think of whether he had taken Midoriko's body with him. "Sesshoumaru!"

"Kagome!"

She could have cried, such joy and such pain coursing through her when she heard his reply. Bursting through the trees to the clearing where they had first started this terrible fight, Kagome noted that the clearing was now far larger. Trees had fallen everywhere, like broken bodies. Sesshoumaru was lashed to one of the few that remained standing, an ancient pine tree with an incredible berth.

"He chained you?" asked Kagome, incredulous. She rushed over and examined the glowing chains around his wrists. "How?"

"He was not doing well," Sesshoumaru murmured and Kagome noticed for the first time that his face was bruised and his lip was split. "Although time jumps do not weaken him as the other demon we faced, they do take a large amount of energy. When I gained the upper hand, he pulled out his bag of tricks."

"And this bag of tricks contained these chains?" she asked, frowning to see that they had burnt Sesshoumaru's wrists badly.

He nodded. "First, there were a number of small purple balls of energy that burst forth. That is how I received this," he said, moving his face so that she could see his bruises more clearly. "When the treacherous miko screamed, he chained me and left."

Kagome didn't have to wonder who made the chains. Miko power, dark and twisted, dripped from them. Luckily, it appeared that their long hibernation in Nameless's possession had robbed Midoriko's toys of most of their potency. Nameless probably thought the chains would kill him without any further trouble. Kagome was so glad the time demon hadn't stuck around to check.

"You're bleeding." Sesshoumaru pulled against the chains and they hissed as they hit fresh skin. He sounded surprised that he had not noticed before.

"The chains are dulling your senses," Kagome said. "Don't worry about me. It hurt, but it's fairly shallow." She ran a finger along the cut that went from her shoulder to her breastbone. It was going to be an angry scar, but it seemed fitting. After all, she had _killed_ the one that gave it to her.

She choked back a sob as she turned to work on the chains. Her touch did not make them sizzle, as she expected, but rather recoil their power. Midoriko had worked this magic specifically for demons. A miko had done them and another could undo them. "Kagome," Sesshoumaru said softly. "What happened?"

"I have to get you free. Hold on," she replied.

"Forget them," he said, jerking away. "What happened with the miko?"

"She's dead."

Sesshoumaru fell silent as Kagome went back to the chains. Her bloody hand seemed to weaken the purple light that wrapped around his wrists. She pressed her palm against her chest and then to the chains. They fell away and became plain metal again.

Kagome moved away from him, but was immediately caught. "Kagome, did you kill her?" he asked.

The young miko shrugged. "She hurt me. I… I reacted. I took the sword and ran her through. Just like those men in the village did to me." She frowned in thought. "She was the one that ordered them to do that to me, wasn't she?"

"Yes, Kagome."

She let a long, shuddering sigh. "I've never killed anyone before. Not a human, at least. Demons… they were all trying to kill me. But never a human. Not like that."

He took her hand, his burned wrists mingling with the blood streaking her arm. "I know."

"You're not going to tell me that it was necessary?" she asked, looking at him carefully.

"My comfort will only ring hollow at the moment," Sesshoumaru said softly. "I will only say that you are the gentlest creature I have ever known. Do not allow this to define you."

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "Then what should? I don't know if it was necessary. I had a choice and I killed someone I called my friend." She pulled away from him. "I'm not who I thought I was."

"You tried to make her see reason…"

"No, I was angry. I wouldn't listen to her. She was in so much pain."

Sesshoumaru lowered his head. He remembered the pain of killing his first victim, on the first battlefield that his father had taken him to in the wars that followed his mother's departure. He was supposed to receive intense training before that moment, to prepare him for the shock of taking a life, but there had been such a rush. His father had needed him and out of that necessity, Sesshoumaru killed. It hadn't stopped at one either. There was an entire battlefield of demons ready to kill him and the taiyoukai had defended himself. He still dreamt of every one of their faces.

"I cannot give you the peace you seek," he said at last.

Kagome took a breath. "I know. No one can." She put her hand back into his. "Do you need me to look at that?" she asked, lifting her free hand to his bruised face.

He shook his head. "It will heal before dawn," he said, looking down into her sad, pale face. It amazed him that they had stood like this only a short time ago and she had looked so many years younger. He sighed. "We need to go. Nameless will return and this time, he will be a fool not to bring the shards. His arrogance made him lose his ally already."

They found her bag, which had been carelessly tossed aside at the beginning of the fight, quickly patched up Kagome's cut and began to walk again. The mountain peak seemed so much farther now, especially as the sky grew to gray behind it. They began to talk of what would happen at the top, if the witch were even there. Sesshoumaru was strangely convinced of it, while Kagome's melancholy seemed to dampen her spirits about even listening to the taiyoukai's instincts.

And then she stopped in her tracks. "Akemi!" she cried out, turning and pulling him back down the mountain.

He followed, unwilling to resist and dislocate her shoulder with his strength. "Where did you see her last?" he asked.

"I don't know. When we landed, I guess. With Nameless and Midoriko there, I forgot all about her." She started to cry again. "I lost her!"

"We both did," he said, trying to shoulder part of the blame, but this made her cry even more. "She is a fire-cat. She will be fine."

"You said we had to take her so she wouldn't die!"

Sesshoumaru grimaced, his words thrown back in his face. Instead of dwelling on it, he sniffed the air. Wind swept down from the peak, however, and he could only smell his own scent and Kagome's, where they had left it farther up the mountain.

"Akemi!" Kagome began to call loudly. The taiyoukai didn't bother to point out that she would draw not just the fire-cat but also every demon on the mountain if she kept hollering like that. What was the use? She wanted to find the cat and something like mortal danger wouldn't stop her. "Akemi!"

It didn't make a lot of sense, Sesshoumaru mused silently as he alternately watched Kagome and poked around on his own. Akemi had been firmly attached to them since they had taken her from her mother's den. And fire-cats had keen noses – she would have been able to find either one in the vast forest.

Then again, he was supposed to have a keen nose too and it was absolutely no help. He frowned and realized that he would have to go to where Midoriko had been slain by Kagome. The young miko seemed to be reaching the exact same conclusion as her search slowed and her pensive expression deepened.

"I will go," Sesshoumaru said.

"No!" The abrupt answer startled them both and Kagome looked abashed. "Sorry, I just don't want to be separated again."

He nodded. "Alright," he murmured, turning and plunging into the trees before she could change her mind. Kagome's small footsteps soon fell in time with his and he was mollified to see the determined look on her face, instead of one of fear or guilt.

In the approaching daylight, it was easy to find the small space where Kagome and Midoriko had fought. It still reeked of miko energy and blood. Sesshoumaru allowed the young woman to stand to the side as he crept around on his own.

Blood was everywhere. Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose, realizing that some of it belonged to Nameless. So he had come here. Kagome was staring at a space in front of her. "He took the body. Why?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged and did another sweep for the fire-cat, but there was no obvious sign of the little creature. Only when he came back to Kagome's side did he notice something odd. "Where is the sword?"

Kagome blinked. It was true that nothing was left except the sticky burgundy liquid, which was quickly turning brown. "I don't know. He took that too?"

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Possibly," he said slowly. But the sword was a piece of scrap metal. No demon would care for such a thing when he had his own claws.

He bent down to examine the smears of blood again. Kagome had been staring at a particularly large puddle of it, and he could smell the elder miko's scent along with the copper scent of blood that all humans and demons shared. He reached out and touched the pool of blood and the drips that led from it. Small drips, he noticed, like someone tried to staunch a wound. No drag marks. Only footsteps had fled from this place.

"Kagome," he said, looking up to see that the young miko was leaning boneless against a pine tree. "Kagome, she is alive. Midoriko is alive," he clarified. He looked down again and noticed something else. His fingers darted out to trace the small indention in the ground and he frowned.

The girl straightened, her eyes growing wide and color flushing back into her cheeks. "But I stabbed her! How… how do you know?"

"She has lost blood," Sesshoumaru said, refocusing his attention and pointing to the pool, "but not so much that she would die. And she walked away on her own from this place." He pointed to the tracks which he could easily see in the coming dawn light, but which Kagome had to crouch over carefully. He made sure that she did not see what he did not want her to see. "Where did you stab her?"

Kagome swallowed hard and sat back on her heels, pointing to her lower abdomen and to the right side. "Here. It went right through."

He arched an eyebrow. Stomach wounds were notoriously difficult to predict whether someone would live or die. "She was alive when she left here," he said finally. He saw the glimmer of hope fade in her eyes. "It is not nearly as serious as the wound you sustained in the village. She probably lives still, unless the demon killed her."

Kagome fell back off her heels and passed a hand over her face. "I haven't killed anyone then?" she asked.

"No."

"Thank Kami," she murmured.

Sesshoumaru, who never prayed to the gods, was tempted to thank them as well. He stood and reached out for her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come. Akemi is not here and we have lost time backtracking."

Kagome frowned and nodded, clearly upset at losing the fire-cat.

The taiyoukai led her away from the clearing and away from the tracks. Away from Midoriko's tracks and away from Akemi's tracks, which the fire-cat had left as she followed the other miko.

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A/N: I wrote this rather quickly, but I'm pleased with it. I hope it satisfied a few of you with the very Sesshoumaru/Kagome moment at the beginning. Or you screamed in frustration. Haha. Please read and review!


	17. The Plateau

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 17: The Plateau

She could not rest and she could not concentrate on her work. The chains – replacements for the ones he lost – fell from her fingers and she sat back against the wall. No one was here with her for once and she knew that she should take advantage of her rare moment alone.

But what would she do? There was no one to talk to, nothing to occupy herself with except the work she avoided. She certainly didn't want to think about anything more serious than the weather. She couldn't even move very easily, so ideas of slipping out of the bare hut were best left alone.

Her hand moved to her side, where she had been pierced by her own blade. Nameless was going to force her to go to the next battle despite the injury. She knew he wasn't taking his time preparing for it for her sake either; Sesshoumaru apparently had more spark than expected and Nameless wasn't going to take chances next time around. He had gathered those strange shards of Kagome's and he was collecting his most loyal of followers to be his army.

"Miko." One of the demons she so loathed stuck his piggish head through the door without even knocking. "My lord orders you to go to him."

Midoriko stood and brushed off her clothing, sweeping up the chains in one hand. The demons, those that followed Nameless with blind devotion, were always rude to her. She was only human, after all, even if she was elevated above them in Nameless's eyes. Perhaps it had nothing to do with rank, but only the fact that they knew she hated Nameless, although he could trust her implicitly.

He had them all, even her, under his thumb in one way or another. It disgusted her.

Still, she had to follow the offensive youkai to Nameless's quarters, a larger hut up the road from her sometimes prison. He had commandeered the village chief's home, of course. His bulky form had almost demanded it, although his agility was something to be marveled at and she was sure he could manage in a mouse's home. His kin were a different story, of course – great, lumbering monsters that spoke in words barely better than grunts.

She had to admit that Nameless had a charisma not shared by his brethren. That was why he could do this. That was how he had ensnared her.

More of the beasts stood beside Nameless's door, but she did not give them more than a glance as she walked through the door and into the front room, where Nameless waited. He was wearing the shards around his neck, in an opaque vial. Even the vague allusion to Kagome was enough to make her stomach flip uneasily. "How are you?" he asked. If it weren't for the smirk on his face, Midoriko would think he was being genuine.

"Fine," she replied shortly. "Did you need something?"

Nameless's smirk deepened at her insolent tone and she admonished herself. He always did like it when his prey fought back. "Are the chains done?" he asked, not reaching for them.

"No. It will just take a moment though." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and pink light flowed through the chains. She dropped them into the pouch he held out for them and scowled. "Is that all you called me for?"

"So cruel, Midoriko. You wound me with your very voice, your tone."

The priestess frowned. "I do no such thing."

"Ah, but we might be going to our deaths," Nameless murmured, his bulbous eyes not straying from her face for an instant. "Isn't it possible that I would want a kind word, a gentle touch, before facing the son of the West again?"

"'A kind word'?" repeated Midoriko incredulously. "Never. And I know exactly what you mean by 'a gentle touch', and that is something you will not receive from me. Go find one of those willing females that always hover around."

Nameless waved his hand dismissively. "I tire of them," he said, moving predatory eyes up and down her form.

Midoriko steeled herself against a shudder. "Touch me and you will only have a helpless, human woman, not a priestess."

"That excuse will only last so long, my dear," he replied smoothly.

She turned her face away, admitting the weakness. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I thought you would like to see one more time," he murmured, turning serious in a moment.

Midoriko's eyes flashed with hope, but she kept it out of her voice. "You just want to make sure that I keep my promise."

"I don't dispute it." His fingertips touched and a small blur of energy formed in the hollow between his palms. "Well?"

Damning herself with every step, Midoriko approached. "Yes. Please," she replied, her desperation nearly echoing in the small room.

"Ah, very well," he said, as if he was granting her a favor against his better judgment, although he was the one that had offered. His palms fell open and he placed the vision beneath her eyes, watching as it lit up her face in more ways than one. It was the wistful expression that bound her to him, he knew, and he enjoyed watching it play across her small human features.

And she watched what he held in his hands, now a perfect orb. It was full of faces, smiling ones. Midoriko lifted a hand to her own mouth and wondered if such joy was still possible. When the vision passed and the orb melted into nothing, she looked up again. "Thank you," she said softly. She hated Nameless so much, but she could never avoid expressing her gratitude.

"Not a problem," he said in return with that smirk of his.

She gave him a stiff glance, the corners of her mouth turning down. "No, of course it wouldn't be," she said softly. She frowned for one moment more and then straightened her shoulders. He turned nasty when she was particularly rude. He ought to get the proper respect, he said. She scoffed inwardly. "When are we leaving?"

"Momentarily. I trust you have everything with you?"

"Yes," she replied. The sword that had pierced her was at her side. She needed nothing else, and at the moment, she could have easily done without the sword as well. She wouldn't draw it again with Kagome around.

They stepped out of the hut together and Midoriko watched in silence as he gathered his army. There were dozens of time demons and even more of the hulking wolves that seemed half-mad with their love of Nameless. She had seen the army that had gone after the shards and barely succeeded. They had been the disposable ones. If they had failed, it was no skin off Nameless's nose. They had been a rag-tag group of aimless orphans compared to this army.

The sun was already directly overhead. Not that it mattered. Nameless had already reordered time, giving Midoriko a few days to heal. He didn't really care for her that much, but she was a valuable asset against the son of the West. Of course, Kagome and Sesshoumaru would not be afforded the same luxury. For them, only a few scant hours had passed, not days. They were probably trying to scramble up the mountain, to find the witch. But Nameless would find his way first and he'd have all the time in the world to do it too.

She reached up and touched her chest, right below her throat. It was still there. There was no hole that bored through her body, even though it felt like exactly that. As the wound on her side healed, the gaping hole in her chest worsened and it was now at its pinnacle of pain. Of course, it might kill her when she faced Kagome again.

"Ready?"

Midoriko saw a small flash of white over Nameless's shoulder, but kept her gaze on his face. "Yes, I am."

Nameless nodded, gathered her to his chest and she closed her eyes automatically. The bright light of moving through time was too much for her. Kagome had once told her, while Sesshoumaru had hunted in the night, that she moved through the purest pink light. It sounded like waves against the rocks, she had said. But to Midoriko, it sounded like screaming and she wished she could close her ears as well as her eyes.

And then, for a moment, it did sound like the rush of water. It even smelled of water, fresh and green like the grasses along a riverbank. It grew stronger as the wind of the vortex died down.

She landed on the other side of time and space with a jarring tumble against Nameless. He steadied her automatically and took note of her pallor. "Have some strength," he admonished. "We are about to do battle."

Midoriko took a breath and opened her eyes. The water was still rushing in her ears and she saw that it had not been the trip, but the destination. A tall waterfall stood at one end of the field, the water spilling over a cliff soaring above them. The ground was soft and thick with reeds that came to her waist. "Beautiful," she murmured, then frowned. "I thought they would have been climbing the mountain."

Nameless smirked and pointed behind her. She turned to see that she stood twenty feet from a sheer drop. They were on top of a mountain plateau. A solitary path led down the side of the cliff with carved stone steps that were flat, broad and safe. Step off the path, however, and one would fall to his death.

"All of Japan is at our feet," whispered Nameless, coming to her side. She ignored the uncomfortable way he pressed against her. The army was circling around the path's mouth, where Sesshoumaru and Kagome would have to appear.

"Why are you doing this?"

Nameless pulled back slightly, frowning at Midoriko's whispered question. "If you're thinking that this isn't what you want…"

"It isn't," snapped Midoriko. "You know what I want. You've promised it to me, after all. I just want to know why you are doing this."

The demon gave her a skeptical, searching look and then shrugged. "What demon doesn't want to expand his territory?"

"But Kagome?"

"Ah well… Kagome is just a wrench in my greatest work," murmured Nameless. "Nothing in all of time and space will fight against my goal as much as her and her friends. And Naraku, of course."

"Naraku. She's mentioned him," said Midoriko.

"He is their great enemy. He wants what I want. The Shikon no Tama for one, which would be an immense asset in my plans. But he's powerful enough to get it too, if he ever manages to destroy Kagome and the others. But that little group is quite powerful itself, especially with Kagome's growing capabilities."

Midoriko blinked. "So you're going after her here, where she's separated from the others. And from Naraku. Without her, you can defeat her friends. And then Naraku is the only thing that stands in your way. You can't have him getting what you want. Taking the shards now gives you an advantage because he can never get to them if you hide them in the past. You're just going to pick them all off one by one."

Nameless touched her hair. "You're very intelligent, miko," he purred.

"It's horrible. You've cut her off from everything she's ever known by closing the well."

The time demon chuckled. "Well, there you give me too much credit."

She turned to look at him, her mouth opening to ask what he meant, but one of the other time demons whistled and Nameless's attention was immediately diverted. "Our quarry approaches," he said with a grin.

The entire army looked expectantly towards the path. They did not bother to be quiet as they drew their swords, clicked their claws together and gnashed their teeth. They were expected. Sesshoumaru would be able to smell them; Kagome would be able to sense them with her miko powers. The element of surprise was gladly given up for sake of their vast numbers. Even so, they began to hold their breath as the seconds ticked by and no taiyoukai or miko appeared.

Midoriko did not watch the path. She kept her eyes on the ground. She knew exactly when they would arrive. She could feel Sesshoumaru's angry aura and Kagome's anxious power rising in the distance. Part of her heart soared while the other part plummeted into the depths of despair.

It wasn't until the first cry of pain that she turned around. Sesshoumaru and Kagome had burst from the clouds above the mountain. They rode on their own bit of cloud. Kagome was tossing purified pebbles, like a kid standing at the edge of a lake. They skipped around the youkai army just like they would on the surface of the water, vaporizing her victims. Sesshoumaru was sending several youkai over the cliff with just his glare and a flash of his sword. The stubborn ones were struck down by a whip of poison light.

For a moment, Midoriko allowed herself to be happy that they had tricked Nameless.

"You knew they were doing this!" snapped Nameless, grabbing her haori and shaking her.

She pushed away but did not answer, her eyes suddenly glittering with contempt. The time demon shoved her away and dove into the fray as Sesshoumaru and Kagome alighted in the midst of the army. Blasts of pink light shimmered through the air as blood sprayed up on the tip of a blade.

The disorganization lasted only a few precious moments. Nameless, armed with his gift for fevered leadership, began to shout orders and the demons fell into rank and line. Time demons began to shift through the vortex of time and space, blinking in and out of the world like lightening bugs. Kagome cried out, her voice carrying over all the youkai army to Midoriko's ears.

A white blur shot up from the melee and Midoriko stood her ground. It was Sesshoumaru and he was coming for her. Behind him, a barrier blossomed from the epicenter of the brawl. But Kagome was losing strength already and the barrier rippled as demons crashed against it.

"_You_," he hissed as he landed. "You have injured her more than any of them ever could." His toxic whip lashed out of his casually thrown arm and slaughtered the youkai that turned to fight him.

"I didn't want to," she murmured, her eyes lowering.

"And that is what makes you worse than them," he continued. "You dared to call me 'filth' and yet you are the one that has betrayed everything for your own selfish desires."

Midoriko set her jaw. "What do you know about my selfishness?" she snapped.

"When it comes to Kagome, I know it all," he replied, surprising her. He paused and the poison whip flew again. "I'm supposed to kill you. She can't do it, even after what you did to her."

"She's the one that stabbed me."

"Stabbed you, and killed her own innocence," he said. "Even though she was simply defending herself from one that was supposed to be her friend."

The elder miko looked at him and noticed that the gold in his eyes was dull. He was mourning the loss of Kagome's cheerful naivety. She was sure that her own eyes looked quite similar. "Why haven't you killed me then?" she asked softly. "You could do it in an instant. I might not stop you. I'm not sure anymore."

"I am giving you another chance," Sesshoumaru said with a frown. "One more chance to act as one that befits your station. One more chance to have _half_ of Kagome's strength. You are fortunate to have met a priestess such as her!"

Midoriko remained silent for a moment. Kagome cried out again. "Go help her," she murmured, knowing that he could hear her despite the noise of battle.

His muscles tensed and she saw that he wanted to go to Kagome. He wanted it more than anything. "What is your answer?" he asked sharply.

Behind him, Nameless rose up out of the mob and pulled the vial from his neck, snapping the cord. "Quickly," Midoriko murmured. "Before he uses them!"

"We were expecting this," he gritted out. "Kagome was quite adamant that she would be able to survive for as long as possible."

Nameless smashed the vial, plucking the shards out as the other youkai turned their attention to him. They pressed in close as he jammed the shards into his legs, arms, chest and head. Kagome was crying again.

The time demon roared and Midoriko watched in horror as his entire body pulsed with the shards' power. His orange eyes began to glow, his skin stretched taut across massive muscles and his fangs lengthened so that his cavernous mouth could no longer house them entirely. If he was terrifying before, he was fear itself now. He let out another roar that rattled the very mountain.

"Please, go to her," whispered the miko.

"What is your answer?" he snapped again, more forceful than the last time. His gaze kept flickering to the side, waiting to go to Kagome's side. He had not watched Nameless's transformation, but his hand was beginning to tighten reflexively around the hilt of his sword.

"She's going home," said Midoriko. "If you win, you'll lose her."

"I know."

It was said with such brevity and conviction that it robbed the miko of her voice for a moment. "Then why are you helping her?" she asked. "Why aren't you being selfish too?"

"Because I am not you," he replied and his golden eyes flashed anew.

Realization dawned. "You love her that much," she said. It wasn't a question and it wasn't a sneer, like the last time she had said such a thing to him. He did not reply and she shook her head, trying to dispel the lingering doubts that had hovered around since she had met Kagome. "But Nameless promised to bring my family back to me. He can reorder time. He can give me the chance to stop the demon that slaughtered my village. That's what he'll give me! He's shown me what will happen when they come back. It'll all be okay again. And I love _them_."

Sesshoumaru barely reacted to her admission. "They are long dead."

"Kagome died!" she snapped as her vision blurred. She realized belatedly that she was crying.

Only a slight scowl told her that he was even listening. "The choice is simple, miko. Your family in the past or your honor in the future." He arched an eyebrow. "Kagome awaits your answer. Realize that if you choose Nameless, you will not live to see his promise fulfilled, if he ever planned to fulfill it at all."

He turned and disappeared into the fray, blood dripping along his path as he fought his way back to Kagome's side. Midoriko heard her cry again, but this was one of joy upon seeing the taiyoukai again. The barrier dropped and Nameless called for a fresh attack. He was standing on the rocks by the waterfall, far from danger. His transformation had become a rallying point and the army was attacking with new fervor as he watched like a hyena ready to rip apart others' leftovers.

Midoriko felt something wrap around her ankle and looked down to see Akemi. The fire-cat had been following her since the last confrontation with Kagome. She had somehow latched onto Nameless's trip through time and kept out of sight. As far as the miko knew, she was the only one that had seen the kitten in days.

It had been confusing at first, to see Kagome's pet at her own side as her wound healed. Akemi did not effuse the warmth that she would have if it had been Kagome laying helpless and wounded, but she had kept Midoriko company.

Yes, confusing at first, but now Midoriko knew Akemi's reasons. "You love her too," she murmured to the fire-cat. "You stayed with me for her sake."

The kitten meowed in return.

"What would I be, if I sacrificed Kagome for the sake of my family? Not just Kagome either. Possibly Japan. All for myself!" She closed her eyes for a moment. "I wouldn't be saving them, would I? They'd come back and we'd all live under Nameless's rule. The visions he showed me were false. I knew that too. I just so wanted to believe him. I wanted to think that it was really possible to be happy again."

Akemi cocked her head and remained quiet.

Midoriko took a breath, so deep that her heart hurt. "Thank you," she murmured to the fire-cat. "You should hide though, until it's over."

As the kitten made her escape, the miko strode forward. The power that gathered in her hands was the pure pink of a proper priestess and Midoriko smiled for the first time in a very long time.

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Kagome was weakening. Sesshoumaru kept shouting at her, even to the point of insulting her, so that she remained focused. She wished that she could just collapse against him and let his strength support her failing body.

It was the time demons. They kept away from the center of the fight, popping in and out of existence just to hurt her. Sesshoumaru could not go to fight them without abandoning her. He wasn't willing to leave her to the rest of the army. But her condition only distracted him and not nearly enough youkai were falling to his blade. They were pressing in closer with each moment.

Suddenly, a ripple went through the air, jolting Kagome to full awareness. "What was that?" she yelled.

"What. Was. What?" Sesshoumaru replied in grunts, slicing several youkai apart.

Kagome frowned for a moment, just before her eyes went wide in realization. "Sesshoumaru!" she cried, throwing herself into him and making him fall. She covered his body as best as she could as he growled fiercely in confusion.

Jagged pink thunderbolts ripped through the air, disintegrating dozens upon dozens of demons in one hit. Sesshoumaru's skin burned as it passed over him, one bolt going right where his head had been a second ago. It was painful, but nothing compared to the screams he heard all around. Half of the army was gone, leaving them in a crater of the corpses' dust.

Kagome scrambled to her feet, her energy renewed. The time demons that remained had stopped flickering. Everyone turned to stare at Midoriko, standing at the other end of the plateau with her hands outstretched and sweat breaking out across her brow. "I told you!" the younger miko cried. The light around Midoriko was now a clear, untainted pink.

Sesshoumaru grunted again as he stood up. "Yes. It appears she has made her choice. Prepare for the fight, Kagome." He lifted his sword again as Kagome grinned, her heart swelling with fresh purpose.

The remaining youkai recovered from the shock, but not all of them were as willing to prepare for the fight as Kagome. Several tumbled off the cliff, taking off in flight to other, distant parts. Others crept away as fast as possible down the path. Midoriko was a force that would not fall to the time demons' tricks, they knew.

Nameless kept up a façade of admirable calm. He stepped off his perch and walked into the battlefield as his most loyal followers regrouped and waited for his order. "You realize that you've condemned them!" he called, his voice dripping with contempt. "You'll never see your family alive again, Midoriko!"

The elder priestess was equally placid as she moved towards her new allies. "I think that that's for the best," she murmured. She joined the others and turned to face her former master. "I'm going to live with the living now."

"Then you have lost my interest," the youkai said. He nodded to the remnants of his army and they all began to converge upon the two miko and the taiyoukai.

"Well," Kagome began, "here we are again." She smiled.

The corners of Midoriko's mouth turned up. "Yes, here we are." She looked at the taiyoukai. "How should we do this?"

If Sesshoumaru was surprised by her deference to him, he didn't show it. "I will kill the remaining time demons and wolves. You two, take Nameless. I will assist you soon enough." He glanced at Midoriko. "Take care of Kagome."

Kagome's eyes lit up and she gave Sesshoumaru an indulgent smile. He gave her a slight shrug in reply and turned away to face the oncoming hoard. The two miko focused upon Nameless, their hands already glowing like coals.

The time demon rushed forward, meeting them in the middle of the battlefield. Kagome and Midoriko each grappled with one swinging, cable-like forearm. A persistent, numbing ache went through Kagome's body as she touched Nameless. Her concentration wavered as she tried to pump the demon full of purification power.

"Kagome!"

The younger miko turned her head slowly to look at her companion. The energy jolt she had received just a few minutes earlier was draining faster than it had come. "It's not working," she said, pressing her eyes shut for a moment.

"I know. He's… he's not completely in sync with our time," she struggled to reply as Nameless roared and began to shake them off.

Kagome blinked as she was thrown away, landing squarely on her backside. Nameless was clearly in pain, judging by the way he was hunched over and growling. But he was also slightly translucent.

It took a moment for her to figure it out. "We can't really hurt him until he's completely in our time," she yelled.

"Right." Midoriko scrambled to her feet from where she had fallen. She turned sharply. "Look out!"

Kagome felt a presence before she saw the shadow. Whipping around, she raised a barrier only just in time for a wolf to crash into it. The barrier was strong enough and the youkai weak enough that it was purified on contact. But behind her, Nameless was regaining his breath and he began a dance through time.

The girl screamed and the shield fell as Nameless blinked back into reality three feet away. He was only half there again, but his proximity sent blades of glass through Kagome's heart. She heard the cry of Midoriko as she attacked and she felt the twinge of the elder miko's power in the air, but again it was rebuffed. Nameless was laughing and although he was beside her, it sounded very far away.

She tried to crawl away, back towards Sesshoumaru. She could feel his aura, despite the number of other youkai that should have obscured his. He was bleeding and tired, but doing well. He was anxious too, to get back to her.

Nameless leaned down and grabbed Kagome by the hair. He received a nasty shock for his trouble, but his grip remained tight. She reached up and clawed at him, but his skin was leathery and did not tear. He dragged her roughly across the terrain and tears of pain sprang to Kagome's eyes. It was unfair that they could not affect him, and he could so easily injure them in return.

"Kagome!" Midoriko was running after them, her sword drawn.

The girl wrenched herself in Nameless's grip. "You bastard!" she yelled. "What are you doing?" She reached up and grabbed his wrist, pushing all of her power into her fingertips.

Nameless let out a yell at the pain and paused, shuddering through the worst of it. Midoriko caught up and her blade sliced through the air.

Kagome suddenly was falling towards the ground and caught herself just in time. She lifted her eyes and saw Nameless staring down at the sword shoved through his ribs. Blood, blood that was firmly within their time, dripped onto the ground with a patter. He began to howl.

The other priestess hooked her arm with Kagome's and dragged her to her feet. "Come _on_. It's no use with him halfway between times. We're only making him angry." She began to run towards Sesshoumaru, pulling Kagome along behind her.

"But you got the sword…"

"Yeah, I bet it hurts. But I put enough purification in that to slay a dragon and he's still standing. Believe me, it won't hold him for long."

Sesshoumaru was delivering a fatal blow to a wolf when they approached. "Trouble?" he asked, pulling his blade from the corpse and rounding on a bear demon, taking off its head with ease.

Kagome reached out and purified an oncoming snake youkai. It was much more difficult than it should have been. "He's between times. We can't hurt him." She glanced around at the severely crippled army. Only a few wolves and a handful of other assorted youkai still hovered around. The taiyoukai's new company of the two miko was extinguishing any last desires to fight. "Where are the other time demons?"

"Dead," muttered Sesshoumaru, leaning down to wipe his blade clean. He would take care of the rest with his claws, if necessary. "I went after them first."

"Thank you."

He turned to accept her gratitude and froze. "What… what did you do?" he growled. It took Kagome a moment to realize that the question was directed to Midoriko.

"He was dragging her by the hair. What was I supposed to do?" she snapped.

Kagome frowned. "I'm fine, Sesshoumaru," she said. One hand drifted up towards her scalp, intending to rub away the last aches. Her own eyes grew wide and all ten fingers flew up to her head, searching the air for where hair should have been. "You cut my hair?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Kagome."

The younger miko turned to look at Nameless. He was pulling the blade from his gut and she knew he would return soon. At his feet, a pile of silky black hair had been dropped into the dirt. "Oh, my mother is going to kill me," she muttered, her hand raising again to feel the uneven edge of her nearly shorn head.

Sesshoumaru frowned and stood, giving Kagome's remaining locks one short, wistful look before regaining his composure. "It is time to end this battle," he said.

The rest of the army had scattered. It was three to one odds now, but the three were not entirely confident.

Nameless was running towards them, the shards in his legs making it easy work to move his bulk. He jumped forward in time and space, jolting Kagome each time with a fresh dose of blinding pain. Sesshoumaru stepped in front of the younger miko as Midoriko threw up a powerful barrier.

"This isn't exactly how we're going to win," she cried to the taiyoukai as Nameless crashed into the shield with a terrible yell. She quivered as the time demon threw himself into the barrier again and again, signs of strain showing on her face.

"I will get the shards," replied Sesshoumaru.

She nodded. "And I will get my sword back."

"It is a useless piece of junk," he snapped. "Forget it."

"I happen to like it!" Midoriko returned. "This time, you take care of Kagome!"

Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome around the waist as Midoriko lowered the barrier. They broke away from each other, letting the charging Nameless go right between them. But the time demon was quick on his feet and turned, grabbing Sesshoumaru's ankle as he tried to leap away. Sesshoumaru had no choice but to drop Kagome and attack.

His blade went straight through Nameless's forearm, but only a few drops of blood splattered on the ground. Sesshoumaru growled with frustration and tugged himself free, flipping back to land on his feet. "You fight with tricks. Stay in one time."

"Two miko and one taiyoukai would spell my death, even with the shards," replied Nameless. "Why should I fight fair?"

Kagome stood and pressed her palms together, forming a ball of pure energy. "Because that's what honorable people do!" she yelled, letting it loose.

Nameless disappeared, making the girl cry out and letting the ball go right through where he had been. "'Honor' is just another way to say 'foolish'," he growled, reappearing to Kagome's left. He swept his arm across, hitting the miko in the chest and sending her flying.

"Kagome!" Sesshoumaru yelled, watching her crash into the sheet of the waterfall and vanish into the white mist. He snarled at the time demon and ran at him, his poison whip lashing around Nameless's neck as his blade went for his throat.

The taiyoukai stumbled as Nameless evaporated once more. He spun around, his blade heating up with the toxins in his claws. "Face me!" he snapped to the clear air.

Nameless began to sputter into existence, one moment on the rock by the waterfall, another moment close enough for Sesshoumaru to touch, and another at the peak of the mountain. "Here I am!" he called, laughing.

Kagome emerged from the waters, dripping wet and groaning as she clutched at her chest. "Make him stop!" she breathed.

Sesshoumaru frowned and narrowed his eyes. Nameless was still flashing around, mocking him with malevolent smiles and sneers. He took a breath and focused, excluding even Kagome from his senses. When the time demon appeared at the edge of the plateau, in front of the sun that was on its descending arc, he saw it. A moment, a flicker, but just what they needed.

When Nameless reappeared, he was for the briefest second securely in the present. He was solid. He was powerful. But he was vulnerable.

Midoriko had seen it too, if her slight gasp was anything to go by. She was supporting Kagome now, her battered sword in her free hand. They both knew what to do. Midoriko glanced at Sesshoumaru and mouthed, "I'll do it."

She made Kagome sit upon the bank of the waterfall, whispered into the girl's ear and then advanced. Nameless was tiring of his game and had settled upon a spot close to the miko. "What? You are sending the traitor after me, Sesshoumaru?" he laughed.

The elder priestess rushed at him, pointing the blade right at his chest as Sesshoumaru followed up with a strike to his thigh. She cried out as Nameless caught her around the throat, pulling her close for a brief moment as he kicked out at the taiyoukai. "Pathetic!" he snapped, watching the dog demon fall and tossing Midoriko to the side.

She sailed through the air and over the edge of the plateau, barely missing the edge with her outstretched hand.

"Midoriko!" screamed Kagome, struggling forward. Her hands were radiating pink light, so bright that it was almost white. Still, Nameless caught her, lifting her by the front of her kimono.

"She's dead," he growled.

Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and glared at the time demon. "No, she is not," he replied.

And Midoriko was there, standing on the edge of the cliff, stepping off the rosy white light of Kagome's power and a wisp of Sesshoumaru's cloud. It was as much power as the young miko and the taiyoukai could summon at the moment. But it was a success. Midoriko held a small pouch in her hands, which she weighed carefully.

Nameless frowned and looked down at his side, where his own pouch – his 'bag of tricks' – had been. It was gone. "Foul thief!" he snarled.

Midoriko had pulled out the chains, the ones that she had imbued just a few hours earlier. They flashed pink in her hands before she threw them, yelling out the name of the intended victim. "Bind Nameless!"

The time demon dropped Kagome as he flashed through time. But the chains had an explicit order and changed course, latching around his ankles as soon as he reappeared. Sesshoumaru flew in and gathered the girl to his chest as Nameless began to laugh. "How stupid!" he cried. "They do not even hurt! You are losing your touch, Midoriko! Even if I cannot move for a few moments, you still cannot harm me!"

Midoriko gave him a disarming smirk. "They aren't meant to purify any longer, Nameless. They only bind. They bind your soul." The smirk grew into a toothy grin. "Your soul, in one place and one time."

The time demon's face went slack for only a moment, but it was enough.

"A barrier around him, Kagome! Quickly!"

The younger miko set her jaw and shards of light sprang from her hands, wrapping around Nameless's position like a spider's silk around its prey. He screamed in frustration and pounded against it, but it held firm. She let out a breath as the pain eased in her chest. He couldn't time-shift any longer.

Midoriko smiled and joined them. "And now, Sesshoumaru, you must do the honors. I seem to have lost my sword after all." She touched Kagome's shoulder. "If you have the energy, you can add your powers to the blade and it will be that much more effective."

Kagome nodded and touched Sesshoumaru's weapon, careful to not let it go beyond the hilt. "I can't believe you two thought of this," she murmured. "And without talking. It's almost as if you're friends." She smiled.

"Hmph," was all that Sesshoumaru said. Midoriko just threw her a careless shrug.

The taiyoukai stepped up to the barrier and looked into the orange eyes of the time demon. Nameless sneered. "I will…"

"I don't care," interrupted Sesshoumaru, shoving the blade through the barrier. Nameless tried to jump away, but the tip cut into his flesh with ease. He batted it away, but the purification power had already flowed into his blood. He was breaking apart.

"A last request!" Nameless managed to snarl before disintegrating into dust.

An orb hung suspended in the air where his heart would have been. It was one that Midoriko recognized from the times he had shown her the future she would share with her resurrected family. Different images danced across the surface of this one and they all stared, transfixed.

Afterwards, they each would only remember parts of it and different parts at that. Sesshoumaru remembered the vision of his father's grave and of Kagome walking away, her shoulders firm with volatile anger. Kagome remembered the vision of death that came swiftly to her friends and a broken body of Sesshoumaru lying at her feet. Midoriko remembered a vision with a look of fear on her face as she died, overcome by youkai as she fought them alone.

But finally, the orb flickered and disintegrated too. Kagome let the barrier fall and they stood quietly for a moment over the remains before the younger miko knelt down to gather the shards that glittered in the dust.

The older miko shook her head. "This is ridiculous. We beat him. He was angry. He showed me images of my dead family, after all, promising they would return. And that never happened. And it never will."

Sesshoumaru nodded, but Kagome remained silent. "We should be pleased," agreed the taiyoukai.

There was a soft meow and they all turned. "Akemi!" cried Kagome, running forward and gathering the fire-cat into her arms. "Where have you been?"

"She's been with me," Midoriko replied. "I think she was keeping an eye on me. Or forcing me to rethink my position. Every time I saw her, I felt guilty for what I had done. Kagome…"

Kagome shook her head as she cuddled the kitten. "Don't apologize. I realize what Nameless was offering you. If someone gave me the chance to bring back my father, I might take it too." Her eyes flickered to Sesshoumaru, but the taiyoukai did not look displeased at her refusal to accept an apology. "Besides, you came back. We can talk about the specifics later, if you want."

Midoriko gave a little half-nod. "Alright."

Kagome grinned. "I have to ask though. It was a fabulous plan, but why did I need to put up the barrier? You could have done it. I used your technique of storing my power in my fingertips and it _worked_. It worked great, but it was so scary. I thought it'd go wrong."

Midoriko smiled and the other two realized she had not smiled so much in all the time before as she had in the last few minutes. "A demon can become _accustomed_ to the magic of a particular priestess. My power would only hold Nameless for a short time. And I think that Lord Sesshoumaru has become accustomed to yours, Kagome. Otherwise, it would have surely hurt him to hold that sword, even if he didn't touch the purified part."

Sesshoumaru opened his hand. It was pristine, as usual. "What does that mean?" he asked.

The miko shrugged. "It will fade in time. If you let it."

Kagome caught the lilt in Midoriko's voice and tried very hard to look everywhere but at Sesshoumaru. That was when she noticed the small girl standing beside the waterfall. She seemed to be waiting patiently for the three comrades to finish their discussion, with her hands folded and a slightly distant look in her eyes. "Ami?" she asked, her voice rising with surprise.

The girl smiled and bowed. "Lady Kagome, Lady Midoriko and Lord Sesshoumaru. How pleased we are that you survived. We had hoped for this outcome." The corner of her smile quirked a bit. "I realize that my presence shocks you. Forgive me for disguising the truth about myself, Lady Kagome. I was simply curious about you. I should have realized you would be equally curious about me. I had to stretch the truth considerably."

The miko smiled in return, ignoring the skeptical looks on her two companions' faces. "That's alright," she said and then she faltered. "Are you… are you the witch?"

Ami shook her head. "No, my lady. The witch, my mistress, waits for you inside." She motioned to the waterfall.

Kagome's mouth fell open a little. "I knew that waterfall wasn't natural!" she exclaimed. "It was so soft when I fell into it."

The little girl nodded. "My mistress waits," she said again. "She welcomes you to her home."

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A/N: I'm sure a lot of you expected that battle and its outcome. I was actually going to draw out the tension and have Midoriko only jump in at the last moment, but I realized that that would never be enough for Sesshoumaru. Joss Whedon once said that he was planning to have all the characters on his show (namely, _Firefly_) agree to a dangerous mission to show their solidarity. Then Joss realized that if the most morally bankrupt of them (Jayne) agreed to do it, he was really speaking for all of them. Sesshoumaru is sort of like that – Midoriko is back in good graces because the one that hates her the most trusts her. He wouldn't trust her if she decided to suddenly switch again to the winning side.

Normally, I draw battles out over 2 chapters. Obviously, this time I didn't and so it was rather quick. If you think I've really cheated you, I'll see what I can do for future chapters. If you don't think I've cheated you at all, we'll see what the future holds. Hmm.

Anyway, please review! Ciao!


	18. The Witch

The Once and Future Taiyoukai  
Chapter 18: The Witch

Sesshoumaru didn't move. "I will wait here," he said, selecting a flat rock and sitting down. Akemi jumped down and sat at his feet.

Kagome and Midoriko frowned. "What are you talking about?" asked the younger miko. "You came all this way with us and now you're not going to talk to her?"

"Precisely," he replied. "The witch will have nothing to say to me. I have done my part and brought you here. The rest is for you, Kagome."

"I still don't…"

"He is correct," spoke up Ami from her place beside the water. "The witch will not speak with him. We are pleased with his assistance and glad that he survived, but he would not be allowed to enter at all."

Kagome shook her head. "He came all this way though." She turned to look at the demon. "What if something happens in there?" she whispered.

"It will not," he said. He nodded towards the falling water. "This waterfall, as you guessed, is not natural. There are many enchantments woven into to prevent a demon like me from entering. That place is holy. I have no business there. Do not worry."

"Exactly what do you mean by a demon like you?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered towards Ami for a moment and shrugged. Kagome frowned again, realizing that this was something that only a demon could know. She felt entirely left out, but chose not to question it.

She stepped close to him and reached out, her fingertips an inch from his shoulder before she thought better of it and let her arm fall to her side. "You'll still be here when we get out, right?"

He let out a soft breath that almost sounded like laughter. "Of course. I would not abandon you now, Kagome."

She smiled a tight smile that did not completely reach her eyes. "Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can," she said.

Reluctantly, she turned away and followed Midoriko and Ami. They walked straight through the sheet of water and, because she was already sopping wet from her first trip into the waterfall, she readily followed. The water pounded down on her head, forcing her to close her eyes for a few moments. When she opened them again, she was through and completely dry.

"Wow," murmured the young woman. She turned to look at the white falls behind her, still roaring. "Neat trick."

"It is tiresome to constantly get drenched throughout the day," Ami said. "This way."

The girl began to lead them down a tunnel that winded down into the mountain. It was brightly lit, not by torches which would have been extinguished by the dripping ceiling, but by a green phosphorescence. Kagome reached out to feel it and found that it was a soft moss, springy to the touch. It glowed so fiercely that even its green hue refused to make them look sickly.

"You aren't really a little girl, are you?" she asked as their journey wended ever deeper into the rock.

Ami shook her head.

Kagome waited a moment and then laughed. "Well, then, what are you? If I can ask?"

"She's a half-demon, Kagome," Midoriko replied, before Ami was able. "Do you not sense it?"

"Lady Kagome does not sense it because she is blind to such things," Ami said, throwing a kind smile over her shoulder.

The priestess mused over this for a moment. "I stopped consciously sensing Inuyasha a long time ago. Unless I want to find him," she said. "Is that what you mean, Ami?"

"We do not notice what we are accustomed to."

Kagome let out a soft sigh, thinking of the comfort she once took in Inuyasha's presence. She hadn't appreciated it in a very long time. "Becoming accustomed to something can be dangerous. Or painful, when you lose it," she murmured.

Ami nodded and turned a sharp corner. The tunnel widened into a cavern the size of a small apartment. There was no exit except the way they came, but Ami continued to walk. "Please follow me," the little girl said, either not noticing or ignoring the looks of confusion on the miko's faces. "It is just through here."

She stopped beside a small crevasse in the rock. It was shallow and Kagome could see the inner wall of it, where the phosphorescent moss curled together. But as she was about to ask Ami if it was a joke, the half-demon put her hand into the crevasse and opened it. It looked as if she was doing nothing more difficult than opening curtains, but the rock cracked open and sunlight flooded in as if Ami had broken apart the mountain itself.

Blinking, Kagome saw a garden full of blossoms and herbs sitting in front of a tidy little hut with wind chimes tinkling from the porch. "It's so beautiful," murmured Kagome as Midoriko muttered similar compliments behind her.

"An enchantment," said Ami. "My mistress cannot be out in the true open air without exposing her presence to everyone and so she brings the sunlight to her. Please go through. She is waiting." She bowed and beckoned them to go in.

The two women stepped through and the opening to the comparatively dark cave closed gently behind them. Kagome hardly took notice. "Half of these blooms aren't even native to Japan," she said, her fingers brushing the petals of the exotic flowers. She touched one with conical petals of flame orange and royal purple. It opened like butterfly with several pair of wings. "This is a Bird of Paradise. It's from South Africa, I think."

Midoriko followed her down the aisle of the secret garden in silence. "Look at this!" Kagome kept saying, touching each flower and reciting each name. She had discovered a gift for botany long ago, when Kaede first began to teach her about the properties of herbs.

"I am pleased that you enjoy my garden," said a sweet voice that sounded like bells on a spring morning when there was nothing to do but sit and enjoy the sun.

The miko looked up to see the most beautiful woman either of them had ever laid eyes upon. She stood on the front porch of her small home, one hand on the supporting beam and the other shading her eyes. Those eyes were like brilliant obsidian, large, black and reflecting everything. Her skin was flawless and creamy and her features were fine and elegant. Her black hair fell like a silk river to her ankles. It took Kagome a moment to realize that the woman was wearing a simple cotton kimono the color of jade.

But it wasn't her appearance so much that made her beautiful, nor was it the humility of her dress. It was the light that moved with her as she moved, like the world would bow to her and her alone. Even the flowers seemed to nod their respects to the witch, and yet she was utterly unaware of this. Her gentle smile spoke of the genuine warmth and love she had towards all those that crossed her path. Kagome felt as if she was gazing upon her own mother, her mother's mother and all the mothers before that. She felt as if she had come home and she was certain Midoriko felt the same.

"Hello," Kagome finally managed to say, nodding her head only slightly. She did not mean disrespect, but she did not want to move her eyes from the woman. Beside her, Midoriko also stared openly. "Are you the witch?"

The woman's smile broadened. "Yes, Kagome, I am."

The young miko blinked, finally realizing that she was being rude with her continual stare. "I didn't expect… I mean, you look so…"

"You expected an old woman," said the witch with a soft laugh that seemed to make every color brighter.

"Yes, I suppose so," Kagome replied.

"My village has had stories about you for many generations," added Midoriko.

The witch arched an eyebrow in amusement. "I'm surprised that they still speak of me. I believe it's been almost forty years since the last time Ami allowed someone into the cave. Usually, she is the only one that speaks to the pilgrims."

"There are many stories of your benevolence," the elder miko replied. "That is why we came to you."

The smile faded from the witch's expression, although the softness did not. "Is it? That is truly the reason you brought Kagome to me, Midoriko?"

The miko hesitated for a moment and then lowered her eyes. Lying was hardly an option under such a searching gaze as the witch's. "No, it isn't. I never believed the stories. I told Kagome of you because I had to think of a way to remain close to her, to give me an opportunity to kill her. Nameless had promised me…"

"I know what he promised to you," interrupted the witch gently. "And do not fret, Midoriko. You have received pardon from your intended victim. I cannot do anything greater than be grateful that you chose the wiser path."

Midoriko looked abashed but relieved. "Thank you," she murmured.

The witch smiled again. "Please come inside and have something to drink." She turned and opened the shoji doors, allowing the light to spill into the room and onto the small table already set up for tea. "You must be exhausted," she said, moving inside and sitting down on the cushions.

Midoriko and Kagome looked at one another. "No, actually," said Kagome. "I was when I was out there. But I got distracted and then I went through the waterfall. I've felt wonderful ever since."

"Well," the witch laughed, "you will be quite tired once you exit my garden again. Here." She gave them full cups of the aromatic, soothing liquid and then finally took note of Kagome's shorn head. "That is an unfortunate wound. Greater than any of your others, however, and that is quite near to a miracle."

"It's… only hair," murmured the miko. And although she had spoken the truth, she still mourned its loss because someone did care very much about her lost locks.

The witch smiled again, sympathetically. "Yes, I suppose it is."

There was a slight pause. "My lady, what should we call you?" Kagome asked. "I mean, what is your name?"

"Name?" The witch looked momentarily confused. "My name. I haven't thought about that in many, many years."

"You don't remember it?" asked Kagome in awe.

The witch laughed again and poured herself some tea. "Of course I remember it. My name was and is Hoshiko. But no one has used that name for quite a long time. I am always 'Mistress' or 'Lady Witch'. You both may call me Hoshiko though, if you'd like. It would be nice to hear it again."

"Perhaps 'Lady' Hoshiko?" Kagome murmured.

"As you like," replied Hoshiko with a perfect smile.

"Why doesn't anyone call you by name anymore, my lady?" asked Midoriko.

The witch shrugged and sipped her tea. "I suppose you use another person's name familiarly when that person is your friend or younger than you. No one is younger than me. I am fortunate that I did not lose my name, like that time demon did."

Kagome's mouth dropped open a little. "Are you – forgive me, Lady Hoshiko – but are you as old as Nameless?"

"Yes," replied Hoshiko without hesitation. "And I have not had the advantage of being suspended in time either." Her eyes twinkled.

The young miko smiled at the joke, but sobered just as fast. "Then are you one of the Ancients? The ones in the stories?" She paused but Hoshiko did not answer. Midoriko gave her a questioning glance. "I mean the story that Sesshoumaru told me. It's true, after all. Nameless was one of the first demons that the taiyoukai drove out. But I can tell you're not one of those demons. So, you must be one of the humans."

Hoshiko nodded, stretching across the table to pour some more tea for her guests. "I am. And I am not." Her eyes became a bit distant as she looked out the doors and towards her garden. "I don't remember much from when I was truly human. Except seeing him for the first time."

The way the witch stressed the word 'him' made Kagome and Midoriko lean forward. "A taiyoukai," breathed the younger miko.

Her smile broadened slowly into one of pure joy. "Yes. He was beautiful. I loved him in that moment. And every moment after."

"You're one of the women that took a taiyoukai as her mate," whispered Kagome, a smile almost as lovely on her own face. Her heart warmed even more towards the witch.

"Yes. And since then, I was never truly human. I wasn't youkai either though," she replied lightly and turned back to her guests. "Eventually, I grew tired of the ever-changing world and the way I never changed at all. Becoming the center of a pilgrimage was never my intention, but it keeps me occupied. I have learned many things over the years and it would be a shame not to use that knowledge. It was, after all, a great gift that was not meant to be hoarded." She smiled again.

Kagome nodded, wise enough not to ask where Hoshiko's mate was now and wise enough not to ask about Ami, the half-demon girl waiting in the cave.

"But we have talked too long about my own past," said Hoshiko, setting down her teacup and folding her hands. "Lord Sesshoumaru is waiting and we should talk about what you came here to talk about."

The young miko felt a pit rise in her stomach. Here was her chance, what she had been working towards for weeks, and she wasn't at all sure she wanted it anymore. Hoshiko was giving her a gentle, knowing look, but Kagome nodded. "Of course."

"Good." The witch straightened her back and took on a slightly more business-like air. "Now, what I tell you to do must be done quickly. The fracture in Time worsens with each moment and Nameless is not the worst of the creatures that can crawl forth."

"Of course," repeated Kagome, not sure what the witch was referring to but feeling the pit grow larger and begin to roll around in her stomach.

Ami appeared at the door, carrying a small mortar and pestle in one hand, like the set that Kaede used to ground herbs. In her other hand she held one perfect orange and a ginger root. "Mistress," she said with a bow. She brought everything to the witch and cleared away the tea with a flawless fluidity. Easily balancing the teapot and cups in one arm, she drew out a small paring knife from her sleeve and placed it on the table before disappearing again.

But while the two miko stared curiously at what Ami had brought, Hoshiko did not give them a glance. "Time itself has been broken, Kagome."

The statement, as it was meant to do, immediately grabbed Kagome's attention. "What did I do?" she asked.

"Nothing except offend one of the few that is capable of breaking Time," replied the witch. "Unfortunately, even fewer are capable of understanding what it is to break Time and how to put it right again."

"Who broke it?" asked the young miko.

Hoshiko gave her a grave look and the light in the room seemed to dim slightly. "Do you truly not know?" she asked gently.

Kagome sighed. "Kikyo."

"She tried to seal the well," murmured Hoshiko. "She tried to circumvent Fate, but you were meant to be in that time. She is powerful though, and the well only did what it could to resist. It brought you to the only creatures that could help you. It is a rare moment in time that such a taiyoukai and such a miko would be so close. This was no accident." She nodded towards Midoriko as she said this, making the elder miko color in embarrassment.

"Unfortunately, Time is fragile and Kikyo was far too forceful," continued the witch. "Do you remember the black smoke? That is only the first symptom. It is the precursor to the black ooze which traps the ancient monsters."

Kagome started. "Black ooze? Like tar? Like what Koga's mother saw! Years and years ago. But that _was_ years ago."

Hoshiko let out a small, sad sigh. "An unfortunate meeting. Gen was the only one to see Nameless in a vulnerable state, although he still terrified her. That is why he commanded so many wolves. He could not bear to have anyone think of him as weak."

"He never cared if she told anyone or not," Midoriko said, her brow creasing angrily.

"No, he did not. And for that vanity, the wolf tribes will suffer for many, many years," the witch said.

"Can I fix it?"

Hoshiko shook her head. "No. To try would further harm Time. It is already hopelessly tangled. Or it is going precisely as Fate wishes. Fate is a larger enigma than even Time, after all." She paused and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. "Even as old as I am, it still makes my head ache to try to understand these things!"

"But you do know how I should fix what I can fix," Kagome pressed in earnest. It was distressing to hear that the wisest creature she had ever met still didn't have all the answers.

The witch took a steadying breath and nodded. "I have been gifted with clarity concerning that at least," she replied. She took another breath and smiled again. "Listen very carefully, little one."

Kagome suddenly saw Hoshiko's age. Not in the lines on her face which were only those that highlighted her smile, nor the color of her hair which was still ebony, but in her ancient eyes. She felt that there was a whole other creature within the beautiful witch, one which weighed upon Hoshiko's kind heart and whispered about all the horrible things that she could do nothing to prevent.

"Nameless and his brethren were only the first of many. Time demons of course have the advantage of being able to navigate through even the most fractured Time. He was able to pick his time to escape, so that he could prepare for your arrival and seduce your companion to his evil plans," she said, nodding towards Midoriko. "But the other exiled monsters will come soon. If they return to this land, broken Time will be the least of our concerns."

"Tell me how to fix Time and I'll do it," Kagome said, her mind filled with images of writhing, terrible demons worse than even Naraku.

"Fixing Time is nothing," said Hoshiko. "You must simply return to the place where Time originally broke. Kikyo created the cure at the same time as the problem. By now, Time is fractured enough that the well can send you back to where you're supposed to be. Time will heal itself when you're in your rightful place. If you had stayed there, speaking to no one, all of this would have been resolved quite quickly. Unfortunately, you have been altering history while you have been here. You had no way of knowing that, of course."

Kagome covered her eyes. "I tried not to," she murmured. "I did know that I must have been changing things."

Hoshiko waved away her concerns. "It was nearly impossible not to do it to a certain degree. And most of it is harmless. You trod on a bug that was going to be a sparrow's dinner and so she had to fly a little farther. That sort of thing. Even your influence upon Inuyasha's father is not so damaging."

"How can that be?" asked the young miko. "Toga broke off Sesshoumaru's engagement to Ryukotsusei's daughter because of me!" She blushed as Midoriko turned to stare at her.

The witch nodded. "Yes, but that engagement would not have been successful anyway, would it? You know that Sesshoumaru has no mate in Inuyasha's time."

"I never really asked," Kagome murmured. "Never had a reason, of course."

Hoshiko's eyes became intent again. "And he has never told you, not in Inuyasha's time."

Kagome laughed softly. "Of course not. He hardly talks to me except when he's threatening my life. And usually that's more directed towards Inuyasha…" She trailed off and her face fell. "I've changed Sesshoumaru irrevocably, haven't I?"

"Not irrevocably," said Hoshiko. "And truly, you are fortunate that more work is not necessary. Except for Sesshoumaru, everyone you have encountered in your time here will be dead before your time with Inuyasha."

Kagome looked at Midoriko, who shrugged in awareness that she would not live for centuries. "What about Koga?" the young miko asked.

"He is too young to remember anything more than a kind face," the witch said. "You changed aspects of his life, but you did not change his perception of the world. That is what is the true danger of your presence here, after all. Time can heal itself of many wrongs, but if you meeting with someone will change them _irrevocably_, Time can never heal. Fate and Time are tied together and if you damage one to the point that it cannot be repaired on its own, the other will remain broken. You have diverted Sesshoumaru from his Fated path. In turn, Time will ultimately fail to fix the flaw and crack open again. And so that is why something must be done about Lord Sesshoumaru before you go back to Inuyasha, before Time can start to repair itself. As long as Lord Sesshoumaru has been changed by you, Time remains in danger."

Her heart thudded in her chest as she looked at the witch. "What do we do?" she whispered.

Hoshiko held up the spice and the fruit, forgotten until now. "Do you know what a scent is to a demon?" she asked lightly, seeming to change the subject.

"It tells them everything," answered Kagome, swiftly and automatically.

The witch smiled, pleased with her reply. "It can tell them when to flee, when to fight, when to hate and when to love," she said. "Remove a scent properly and you can make a demon forget everything he feels. Sesshoumaru must forget the scent of oranges and ginger. Your scent."

Even before Hoshiko's words truly sunk in, Kagome began to breathe quickly and tears began to spring to her eyes. "Oh no," she moaned finally. "Please don't make me."

"He must forget you," Hoshiko insisted, the pain on her face mirroring Kagome's own. "He must not remember one shred of your existence, not even when he meets you again when you are fifteen and pulling Tetsusaiga from its place."

Midoriko was gathering Kagome into her arms as the witch spoke. "Please, there has to be another way," entreated the elder woman. "He loves her." Kagome began to weep on her shoulder.

"There is no other way," murmured the beautiful lady. She stood and circled the table, laying a hand on Kagome's head. "But please, Kagome, do not completely despair. I would never stop a friendship such as this forever."

Kagome choked on her tears as she lifted her head. She was still pale, but her eternal hope had already begun to clear her eyes. "You mean, he'll remember me? Or do I have to gain his friendship all over again?"

Hoshiko smiled down at her young guest. "When you next meet after you return to Inuyasha, just address him by name and he will remember." She gave Kagome another pat. "Does that ease your suffering?"

The miko nodded and straightened up, wiping her eyes on the hem of her kimono. She was blushing again, embarrassed that she had had such a violent reaction to the news that Sesshoumaru would forget her. "Thank you," she still managed to say, although a few last tears were dripping down her cheeks. "I don't know what came over me."

"Hmm," answered Hoshiko with a smile and knowing glance. She returned to her place, picked up the paring knife and began to cut wafer-thin strips of the ginger root. The orange was given to Midoriko to peel.

A few slices of orange were put into the mortar, pulverized and strained before the ginger was added. The mix of the two strong scents was surprisingly pleasant and Kagome sniffed the air. "Is that really what I smell like?"

"Of course. Every different scent has a meaning behind it," she replied. "A creature's scent gives an important clue to what that creature is like."

"I've heard that flowers have meanings," Kagome said, watching the witch press the ginger into the mortar. She had a grace to her movements that made even this act – which so many peasant women did every day – look regal.

"_Everything_ has a meaning," Hoshiko corrected gently. "That is the essence of Fate. Oranges signify 'eternal love' and ginger signifies 'pride'."

Kagome frowned. "So I'm prideful and lovesick?"

Hoshiko laughed. "A person's scent never changes, Kagome," she said a moment later, but still smiling. "You have a constant, loving heart. And you take pride in yourself and in those around you when they show that they have constant, loving hearts as well. It is a good combination. It speaks of your determination and compassion."

"That sounds a bit better," Kagome said, but she couldn't smile in return. "Do I have to trick him into drinking this?"

"Unless you think he will willingly choose to forget you," Hoshiko murmured. The liquid was now a murky orange and despite its fragrance, was not something Kagome could imagine convincing anyone to drink. "Now, remain quiet for a moment. Do not fear."

The two miko sat silently as Hoshiko closed her eyes. Her hands remained in her lap, but her lips began to move in a silent chant.

The sunlight grew brighter, harsher and the miko had to shield their eyes even though they were inside. The garden's color was washed out and every bloom was white. The wind chimes rattled loudly and the beams of the small hut began to creak. The liquid, still sitting in the mortar with strips of ginger root in it, bubbled.

Hoshiko, still with her eyes closed and her mouth moving, grabbed at the paring knife with one hand. The other hand darted across the table, wrapping around Kagome's wrist and pulling. The young miko shrieked softly as her palm was turned upwards and the paring knife came down towards it.

But it suddenly hovered and Kagome thought Hoshiko was only scaring her until one single drop of blood blossomed in the dead center of her hand. The blade moved again, sweeping up the drop without touching her skin again. The blood was dropped into the mortar with a hiss of steam and the knife was placed back in its spot.

The sunlight eased, the color returned to the world and the concoction cooled. Hoshiko opened her eyes and took a breath. "I should have warned you," she said immediately, "but I find that fear can pollute the spell."

Kagome nodded and rubbed at her palm, but no more blood sprang from the small cut. "It's fine. I understand," she said. "I guess I was just expecting something more like 'eye of newt and toe of frog'. That sort of thing."

Hoshiko arched an amused eyebrow. "Not quite. I suppose my witchcraft is of a quieter breed than that." She smiled at the young miko. "Once I bottle this, I believe your business with me will be done."

"I guess so," replied Kagome.

"Not everything has been fully discussed, however, with your companion. Why don't you go out to the garden to wait?" the witch suggested. "I must still speak with Midoriko for a moment or two alone."

With a glance at her subdued companion, the young miko nodded and took her leave of the others. She stepped outside into the warmth and the green of the garden. She was almost glad to leave actually. Now that she knew what she had to do in order to get home, Kagome was anxious to do it. The guilt she felt over having to betray Sesshoumaru would lift as soon as she saw him again in Inuyasha's time, she just knew it. She hoped so anyway.

Dabbing at her eyes and the fresh tears that were suddenly forming, she walked along the paths. Some of the flowerbeds were blanketed with plants that grew so tall that they reached above her head and so Kagome wasn't entirely surprised to turn a corner and find Ami tending to a few young shoots.

She watched the half-demon nurture the small green stalks for a few moments. "What are they?" she asked, drawing Ami's attention. She self-consciously lifted her fingers to her damp eyes, trying to hide their redness.

"Sunflowers," answered the girl. She smiled at Kagome as the miko continued to rub at her face. "You look lovely, Lady Kagome. He will not know you cried."

The miko let out a little laugh of sadness. "I doubt that," she murmured. Ami stared at her for a moment and Kagome shook her head clear of her discouraging thoughts. "Um, anyway… I meant to ask you something. What did you mean with all that talk about bridges when we first met?"

Ami blinked in the bright sun as she looked up at the miko. "Do not forget the past and do not fail to consider the future when you are in the present. Do not let it chain you though," she said.

"Yeah, well… I got that," Kagome replied, crouching down beside her and mimicking Ami's movements to aid another baby sunflower.

"If you understand that, you are far better off than most of your kind," Ami said.

"So you were just dispensing some general advice?"

Ami smiled. "I think that time-travelers should be more often reminded of the dangers of the weights of the past and future than others."

"That's probably true."

The girl finished her work and they stood. "Perhaps it is something you should remind Lord Sesshoumaru of as well," she said. "He might forget to let the past be the past."

The miko nodded solemnly. "He's not going to be very pleased about me erasing his memory, is he?"

"I would not think so, my lady. Most creatures, demon or not, reasonable or not, would not be pleased."

Kagome's unease returned, nearly moving her to tears again. Once he knew why she did it, she reminded herself, he would understand. After all, the destruction of Time wasn't very conducive to expanding the Western Territories. And although he might be hurt for a while, he would also remember their friendship and everything else they shared, which Kagome still refused to label.

Although the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she would not be dealing with her younger, kinder version of Sesshoumaru. She would have to face the most terrifying taiyoukai of Japan. "Hurt" was simply not an emotion of the older Sesshoumaru. The only words that did come to mind were along the lines of "angry", "vicious" or "murderous".

Damn these tears, she thought, wiping at her eyes yet again. She was becoming an emotional wreck. She should have _remembered_, she chided herself. She should have remembered what a tyrant Sesshoumaru would be in the future. She should have distanced herself.

Of course, if she had, she would have been dead about a hundred times over. This Time and Fate stuff was truly screwing up her perception of things and she inwardly snarled at these all-controlling entities.

Ami was suddenly holding a bloom out to the miko. Kagome blinked away her darker thoughts again and took the flower automatically, a purple blossom with a canary yellow center. "A bittersweet?" she asked, recognizing it immediately. She did not vocalize the other name of the plant – Deadly Nightshade.

"It signifies 'truth'," Ami replied, giving her a steady gaze. "My mistress did tell you that everything has a meaning, correct?"

Kagome let out a soft sigh and tucked the flower into her obi. "Yes, thank you," she said, "but it's not the time for truth. I'll be betraying his trust soon enough."

"You will be protecting him," argued the girl and the light appeared in her eyes that proclaimed that she was far older than anyone could guess. Again, Kagome mused on the possibility that Ami was Hoshiko's child and had to tamp down the urge to ask about the taiyoukai who had stolen the witch's heart. "Truth often coincides with betrayal anyway. At least, what some people might see as betrayal."

The miko had to admit this truth and although she still loathed the idea, she knew she would soon erase Sesshoumaru's memories and feel that she had done the right thing. At least as far as the universe was concerned. Dumb universe, she added petulantly.

In the distance, someone called her name. Ami reached out and took Kagome's hand. "It is time for you to go," she said. "They are done talking."

The miko walked back with the half-demon to where Hoshiko and Midoriko were waiting on the path back towards the cave. The witch smiled and pressed a small opaque vial of liquid into Kagome's hands. "Remember everything we discussed. You must keep your strength. It will be both harder and easier than you think."

"I'll remember. Thank you," murmured Kagome, tucking the vial into her sleeve.

Hoshiko embraced both of them in turn. "Have faith," she said simply as she pulled away from Kagome.

"Perhaps I'll visit in three hundred years," said the young miko.

"Perhaps," replied Hoshiko with a soft smile. "Good luck to you both." She bowed to each of them, which they returned. When they straightened up, the witch was already backing away. The sun was at her back and the light suddenly splintered around her body, enveloping the witch in its rays. When Kagome shielded her eyes, she could no longer see her.

Ami wordlessly led them back into the luminescent cavern and towards the waterfall. Kagome finally looked towards her quiet companion. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Midoriko took a deep breath. "For the moment," she replied.

"What did she say to you?"

The elder miko smiled softly. "If I was permitted to tell you, you would not have been sent out to the garden," Midoriko said.

"Oh. Of course." Kagome blushed slightly and they fell back into silence.

Hoshiko had been right. They were weary again from the fight, with all their bumps and bruises aching afresh. But more than that, their hearts ached from the loss of Hoshiko's company. If Kagome had fretted about what she had to do inside the witch's garden, it was a hundred times worse now that she was out of it. A glance at Midoriko's pale face told her that her companion was feeling something very similar. It was unfair, Kagome felt, to experience such wonder and have it taken away so quickly. They could not have been inside for longer than an hour.

They reached the waterfall quickly and Ami offered even quicker good-byes before disappearing back down the tunnel. Midoriko watched her go and turned to Kagome. "Are you ready for this?" she asked. "He can't know anything."

"Why not? I'm going to make him forget anyway," argued Kagome, her voice raising in pitch as she began to breathe harder.

"How will you get him to drink that liquid if he knows?"

"He'll do it voluntarily," Kagome said. But even as she said it, she knew it was ridiculous. Sesshoumaru would fight it. He would want to try to find some other way, a way that didn't exist and would just further jeopardize Time by delaying what had to be done. She sighed and realized that she had already broken her promise to Hoshiko and let her strength fail. "Okay, fine. He won't know then."

"It's best this way," Midoriko murmured, not sounding very convinced either.

Kagome shrugged. "Well, at least this way he won't be able to kill me immediately back in Inuyasha's time. He'll want some sort of explanation," she muttered darkly.

The two women looked at one another. "It can't be helped," the elder miko said, trying again.

"It really can't," agreed Kagome.

They walked through the waterfall together, arriving on the other side in just a few moments and still completely dry. Night had fallen but Sesshoumaru had remained in his place. He stood up at their appearance. "I was about to follow," he said.

"You can't go in, remember?" replied Kagome with a smile.

"You were taking too long. I would have found a way," he said, his golden eyes following her as she came towards him. "What did she say? Can she help you?"

Kagome nodded. "It won't be too difficult, I hope. I'll explain tomorrow morning."

He looked as if he wanted to insist, but acquiesced instead. "We will camp on the mountain tonight, far enough from the battlefield that scavengers will not find us. Tomorrow we will descend the mountain."

The young miko wasn't listening. She could only stare at him. His beautiful profile against the night sky, his deadly claws, the fur that he always wrapped around her when she became cold, the eyes that would one day become hard with perpetual anger and everything else – it was all so precious to her, now and in this moment of his remaining virtue. She felt her resolve waver for a moment again. She bit her lip and moved forward suddenly, hugging him and burying her face into his shoulder.

"What is wrong?" he asked, returning the embrace as Midoriko pretended to be interested in the constellations above.

"Nothing," came her muffled reply.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and brushed his hand on her cropped hair. He knew she was lying. "Very well," he said.

88888888888888888888888888888

A/N: I have tried to make the time travel bit as clear as possible and it's still mud. For those of you interested (as I am) in the actual physics of time travel, go look up "Grandfather Paradox" on Wikipedia. It's actually an excellent overview of the impossibilities (or possibilities) of time travel, with much less discussion of the laws of physics that are in the time travel article.

Because this is Japan, most of Hoshiko's speech centers on Fate and how it cannot really change – Time will work itself out because Fate MUST work out. However, Kagome committed some acts that are so intertwined with her own past and future that Time would essentially become a pretzel and never correct itself. Therefore, Fate would fail to go on its merry way. The question is – does Hoshiko's remedy for the destruction of Time play into Fate's hands? Or does it repair Time AND Fate's paths?

That, my dear readers, is entirely up to you to decide. Please review! If you really want to talk about time travel, I might answer, but be warned that I'm an amateur and high school physics was many, many years ago.


	19. Rebirth

A/N: Okay everyone. There were a few questions (as I expected) for the last chapter so I'm going to try to answer a few of them here so everyone can see. If you haven't read the previous chapter, here be vague spoilers for Chapter 18:

_1. How many chapters are left?_ Good question! Haha. I know what's going to happen, but the timing of it is always up in the air. I'm going to give you a new estimate of… 5? Maybe 6? I'm hoping to be done by the New Year, if that helps!

_2. If Kagome saying his name will bring back his memory, why doesn't he already have it back?_ Because the spell is broken the next time she (as in, the present-Kagome we are following) says it, not the next time he hears it.

_3. OMG, what was the witch talking about??? _This is my favorite question because it proves I will never be a teacher. This is all you really need to know – Kagome's relationship with Sesshoumaru in the deep past is messing up how everything is supposed to go in the future (i.e. Fate). Without Fate going smoothly, Time is breaking apart because Time is an instrument of Fate. Any more questions about that and just message me.

_4. Are we ever going to see Inuyasha & co. again?_ Yup! Very soon.

ALSO… I forgot to mention it, but amytiger was (I believe) the only one to guess the whole bit about Kagome putting a spell on Sesshoumaru to forget about her. Props go to amytiger if she's still around.

And (I promise this is the last item) this story has officially broken my record of the most reviews for any story I've written! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you all! In thanks, I've made this chapter extra-long and extra-full-of-stuff!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 19: Rebirth

Kagome peered into the mirror, a half-grimace on her face. Midoriko peeked around the edge and gave her a weak smile. "Well, it's very… short." She shrugged. "But not bad. It's definitely better than it was."

The girl sighed and lifted a hand to her cropped hair. "I guess," she murmured. Locks of hair dropped off of her shoulders as she moved, turning her head to see the short bob that now curled around the backs of her ears. It was even shorter in the back and had ended up looking very mod. Kagome, unfortunately, did not have the type of face to pull off the 1960s fad. And unfortunately, it was closer to 1260 where she was at the moment. A woman only cut her hair this short in this era if she was a peasant and working in the fields. No one would believe she was a priestess. "At least it's all even," she sighed, her fingertips curling around the curves of her ears, pulling at the wispy hair.

"I do not think Sesshoumaru will mind," Midoriko said, lowering the mirror.

Kagome colored and turned her face away under the pretense of brushing away the last bits of cut hair. "Why should he mind? What does he care?" she asked.

"I am only mentioning it because he seems to care about these things. At least when it comes to certain people," Midoriko replied with a small smile. "Your hair is very beautiful. Even this short."

"I look like a peasant," said Kagome sulkily, vocalizing her thoughts.

Midoriko shook her head. "Never. You do not have the bearing of a peasant, only of a priestess. Anyone who thinks you are a farmer's daughter is a fool." She tucked the mirror back into Kagome's bag and glanced at the girl out of the corner of her eye. "You still look worthy enough to join the ranks of nobility."

"Is there something you're trying to get at?" Kagome asked with a suspicious look.

"No," said Midoriko, dragging the word out.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Look, Sesshoumaru and I just aren't going to be together. So what does it matter if I look worthy of him or not?"

"Who said anything about Sesshoumaru being the nobility in question?" countered Midoriko.

The girl flushed and turned away again. "You know," she said a few moments later, after she had paled to a light pink, "a few days ago, you would have died rather than suggest that I be in the same room as Sesshoumaru alone."

The elder woman considered this for a moment. "That is true. But I have decided that everything must be given a renewed chance. Sesshoumaru was willing to do a lot for you in that battle, even saving me, when it was the last thing he wanted to do. I must respect him for his convictions." She shrugged. "We will never be friends. But it is possible that I will be friends with another demon one day because your taiyoukai has shown me that demons are more than the monsters I thought them to be."

"I'm impressed, Midoriko."

The miko arched an eyebrow. "Please do not say that. I am trying, but I do not guarantee success."

Kagome smiled. "I do. It's a pretty big thing to learn that you were wrong and take it in stride. I don't think you'll be so quick to discount a demon again."

"You forget that I did not discount Nameless."

The young woman nodded. "Well, most demons aren't going to walk up to you and offer you all of your hopes and dreams. Or they might, but I hope you'll be more wary about trusting _that_ sort at least."

Midoriko let out a soft chuckle. "I hope so too. I'm getting too old to cling to such childish dreams."

"They're not childish," Kagome said. "I would give anything to see my father again."

The priestess gave her a steady look. "Would you?" she asked, a lilt in her voice. "You would do the same _anything_ as me?"

Kagome smiled sadly. "Well, maybe not anything…" She let out a long sigh. "But there are some things that are worth anything, I'm sure."

"Like saving the whole of Time and Fate?" asked Midoriko gently.

"Yeah, I guess so," Kagome answered heavily.

"You heard the witch," said Midoriko, coming closer and laying a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Everything must work out as it's supposed to. Why can't you and Sesshoumaru be part of that?"

Kagome let out a despondent laugh. "You sound like a matchmaker. Who would have thought?"

"The biases I am fighting are nothing compared to my wish for your happiness, Kagome," replied Midoriko.

The young miko smiled up at her friend. "That's nice of you to say, Midoriko."

Midoriko shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I would prefer it if you did not repeat that to Sesshoumaru."

Kagome crossed her heart. "Your secret is safe." She smiled and stood. "We should get back. Sesshoumaru has probably caught breakfast by now. He promised fish."

"I would be ready to eat brambles at this point, thorns and all," Midoriko said, putting a hand over her rumbling stomach. "We haven't eaten since before the battle."

"I know," said the younger woman, as they walked away from the clearing that had been their makeshift hair salon. "Last time we ate a decent meal, we were on opposite sides."

"Nameless was telling me how I would be his empress, a dark miko with the power to kill dissenters," Midoriko said with a shake of her head.

Kagome smiled grimly. "I don't think that Sesshoumaru and I said more than a few words to each other. Not until we saw the mountaintop anyway." She looked at the miko at her side. "You knew we weren't coming up the path, didn't you? You were the first one to look at us."

Midoriko nodded. "I knew."

"And you didn't tell Nameless?"

"I did not see why he had the right to know. He never really had my allegiance. He only trapped my common sense in promises of a resurrected family," Midoriko replied.

Kagome smiled. "Well, I'm glad you didn't tell him. I had hope when I saw you looking towards us."

"Me too," answered Midoriko truthfully, returning the smile.

They fell silent for a moment as shafts of sunlight began to fall through the treetops. It was getting to be quite a late morning, but even Sesshoumaru hadn't seemed to mind. They were all so sore and bruised from the previous day's battle that they had all slept without anyone acting as a guard. It was foolish perhaps, but the entire mountain seemed more cheerful after Nameless's demise. Even now, Kagome felt perfectly safe and warm.

Not that it was enough to entirely erase her doubts and troubles.

"You will act normally around him, won't you?" asked Midoriko, reading her companion's thoughts. "Last night, after we returned from the witch, you were already acting differently. He is concerned."

Kagome lowered her eyes. "Why does it matter? He'll forget soon enough."

"And he'll remember again," Midoriko argued. "If he remembers that you felt guilty, he will think there is a good reason for that guilt. He should remember a pleasant last few days with you." She paused. "Besides, I do not have nearly your ability to keep up a conversation from morning until night. And someone has to keep silence at bay."

"How can I act normally when I know what he's going to turn into?" she asked.

"So he is a true monster in the future," Midoriko replied softly.

Kagome sighed. "No, not really. Well, I suppose some would see him like that. But he's truly quite honorable. He just has his own set of values and does not tolerate anyone interfering in his plans. He's been known to kill people for simply standing in his path, but he's also taken in a young girl as his own daughter."

"His own daughter?" asked the elder miko. "I would find that hard to believe even if you told me that _this_ Sesshoumaru did that."

"Well, maybe not like his own daughter," Kagome conceded. "But he cares for her. He's saved her life when it did nothing but endanger his own goals. I think in his own way, he loves her."

Midoriko took a deep breath. "Alright. So what's the problem?" she asked. She watched as Kagome frowned. "It seems to me that it is the same Sesshoumaru – quick to pull his sword on someone, but willing to save those that he loves."

Kagome blushed unexpectedly and she quickly pressed her palms to her cheeks. "I suppose. But he's so much colder in the future."

"Oh? And have you been sleeping in his lap in the future as well?" Midoriko asked, her voice rising with her sarcasm.

"No!" gasped Kagome. She caught Midoriko's glance and bit her lip. "Okay, I guess I haven't exactly given him a chance in the future. But he's still different. Bitter and bloodthirsty and angry."

"Once again, you are forcing me into the position of Sesshoumaru's advocate. It's not something I'm used to, Kagome," admonished the elder woman. "But you are being quite ridiculous. You know practically nothing of the future taiyoukai. You should not be so quick to judge." She huffed. "Now, I refuse to say anything more on the subject. I feel very strange as it is."

Kagome finally smiled again, although it was weak. "Okay, sorry. I'll try, I promise. I promised the witch too." She spread her arms. "Here's to the return of the normal, cheerful Kagome!"

Midoriko nodded, wearing a tight smile. "You're going to need your characteristic cheer, Kagome."

The two women exchanged a look. Sesshoumaru, hearing that time was of the essence, had generously offered to carry them down the mountain on his cloud. As far as he was able, at least. But it would still bring them far enough so that they would reach Midoriko's village by the day's end.

"Who knows what we'll find there?" Kagome murmured. "You should have some faith."

Midoriko let out a breath, the corners of her lips turning up. "You're right. Here's to the return of the normal, faithful Midoriko."

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Sesshoumaru stood upon the precipice and looked down. The sky had turned pearly gray a few hours before, warning of the coming storm, and the wind pressed his silk clothing against him, showing off his form. But he continued to look down upon the crowd that gathered at the base of the mountains, around the mouth of the pass. They were in turn staring at the path, which would soon produce Kagome, Midoriko and the fire-cat. And the taiyoukai himself, of course.

He stepped back and out of sight, contemplating what should be done. The villagers were armed, but poorly. He could easily slay them if the need arose, but he knew that Kagome would protest strongly, as women and children were among those at the mountain's base. He had no great taste for killing women and children either and he found their presence most irksome. Why would the village men be so foolish to bring such liabilities when it seemed as if they were prepared for battle?

Sighing inwardly, he turned and gracefully made his way down the other side of the mountain, to where his three female companions waited. Kagome turned to see him first. "Well?" she asked immediately, her eyes wide with concern. She had been a nervous wreck since he had first announced that he could smell a congregation of the villagers on the other side of the pass.

"They are there," he replied. "All of them, with their farming tools as weapons and their women and child as easy targets."

"Sesshoumaru…"

He held up his hand to silence her. "I will not hurt them if it is not necessary." He looked to Midoriko. "Why are they here?"

The elder woman shrugged from where she was sitting with Akemi in her lap. "I'm not sure. I am uncertain how they even knew we were coming."

"Most likely, they saw my cloud as we descended the mountain," he said.

"What are we going to do? We have to go through that pass or make a significant detour out of their sight," said Kagome, clutching at the shards that hung around her neck in a brand new jar. "We can't afford to lose the time."

"I will go through," said Midoriko, standing up and putting Akemi on her shoulder. "I will ask them their intentions and explain the situation. They will not hurt me."

Kagome shook her head. "You don't know that. They're desperate people, Midoriko."

"Only because I made them so, after they had almost recovered from the disaster ten years ago," said the other miko, her mouth turning down.

"At least have Sesshoumaru with you."

The taiyoukai scowled. "I will not leave you here alone, Kagome." He glared as the girl opened her mouth to protest. "Do not even consider it. We will all go. It is the only way to ensure our collective safety."

"But not theirs," argued Midoriko.

"No," agreed Sesshoumaru, "not theirs. But if they are so desperate to attack a taiyoukai _again_, they are desperate to the point of suicidal. And those that wish to kill themselves on my claws will not receive my pity."

They were all unhappy about the decision, but none of them could think of anything that would better serve their safety and pressing time constraints, and so they began their trek through the pass. The steep slopes of the mountains on either side of them seemed to close in on them as they walked and the clouds turned angry above their heads. Even the two miko could smell the rain in the air. Akemi began to twitch her tail.

Droplets began to dampen their hair as the path opened before them and the first of the villagers appeared. Sesshoumaru stepped in front of Kagome as the rain thickened. All the young miko could see were his shoulders, plastered with wet silk, and his braid of silver hair.

Midoriko was ahead of them, her arms wrapped around a soggy, irritated fire-cat. "Why are you here?" she called, above the rising wind. "It is cold and it is raining. Go home."

Kagome could not see the man who answered. "Why is the demon with you?" he asked.

"Because he is my ally. Yours too, if you would only calm yourselves and listen to me," Midoriko replied. "But not here. These children will get sick! Why have you brought them?"

There was a pause. Kagome tried to peek around Sesshoumaru form, but he nudged her back into place. "Because if we die, we will die together," answered the same voice as before.

"Who is dying? I see no death approaching."

"You have failed Nameless!" another voice shouted immediately. "And now you're allies with that monster? He'll kill us!"

There was a loud swell of agreement from the crowd. "Demons massacred this village once and now it'll happen again!" a woman shouted.

"You've brought this filth into our lives and we'll die for it!" said another.

"And what does this one want? Our last remaining daughters?" one sneered.

"Hey!" Kagome placed a firm hand on Sesshoumaru's arm and rounded to face the crowd. "He is _not _filth. And he does _not _want your daughters. That's just disgusting bigotry. He is here as a favor to me, and you're lucky to have him on your side! If you would just_listen_ to Midoriko for half of a second, you would know that you have nothing to worry about!"

The villagers fell silent and stared. Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's hand on her elbow, pulling her back. "What?" she asked, turning to him. "They obviously just want to insult you! They're not going to try anything."

"It is much appreciated, Kagome," he murmured so low that she felt the words rather than heard them. "But you forget that you are a ghost to them. You died here."

"Oh." She looked back at the stricken villagers and at Midoriko, who was watching with a mixture of concern and amusement. "I'm sorry. I'm not a ghost," she said to the crowd.

"There isn't any way you can be alive though," one woman said, the same one that had spoken before.

Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru. Tenseiga was not supposed to be common knowledge. Toga would have every demon and human in Japan coming to him if they knew he could resurrect the dead. "Youkai medicine is far beyond your human capabilities," Sesshoumaru intoned, looking disdainfully down at the woman as he brought Kagome close to his side.

The crowd murmured among themselves and Midoriko took the opportunity to bring the focus back to the issue at hand. "Where is Ruka-san?" she asked, referring to the ancient headwoman of the village.

Kagome glanced up at the storm forming directly over their heads. "Is that something we can figure out somewhere else?" she asked. "Preferably somewhere dry?" She shook her head to prove her point, sending droplets of rain flying everywhere.

Lightening split across the sky before Midoriko could reply, a tremendous boom of thunder following immediately. "That was very close," Sesshoumaru said, his nose flaring slightly. "We must take cover."

"Let's go to the village," Kagome called to Midoriko. "We can look for Ruka and explain everything there."

But the villagers did not move, even when a growl rose from deep within Sesshoumaru's chest. "We will not have that monster and that undead priestess in our village," said a man.

Kagome stiffened in Sesshoumaru's arms and he could smell the sudden anger and envy that came from her. He did not understand why the man's words affected Kagome so deeply, but then again, he did not care. "Miko," Sesshoumaru snarled, "control them. Immediately."

"I'm trying," Midoriko said, her voice plaintive. She looked back to the crowd. "Listen to me. Nameless is dead! You have nothing to worry about. Please, we must leave this place!"

They whispered furiously among themselves for a moment. "How? How did he die?"

"We killed him together," Midoriko said, gesturing to her companions. "He died and his army dispersed or died with him."

Sesshoumaru's arms tightened around Kagome as the other miko spoke. "We can't get any more soaking wet than we are already," the young miko murmured to him as she kept an eye on the villagers.

"It is not the rain that concerns me," he replied.

"Impossible!" the villagers were shouting. "Three cannot bring down an army! You're lying to us again! You promised us our happiness and our families!"

Midoriko's tears began to mingle with the rain. "I know and I do not blame you for your skepticism, but through all of this, I have only been concerned with your safety. Nothing has changed that!" she cried.

Before she could say anything else though, Sesshoumaru arm wrapped around the miko and pulled her up and over the heads of the crowd. Midoriko shrieked in alarm, as did Kagome. Behind them, the cliff that had stood over them splintered and exploded in a shower of sparks as a lightening bolt hit it. Beneath them, the villagers scattered and screamed.

Kagome twisted in Sesshoumaru's grip as he came back towards earth. As soon as his feet touched the ground, she broke free and ran back. "Kagome!" he called, surprised at her escape.

"They're hurt!" she yelled back, not turning around.

Midoriko followed, looking back to beckon to the taiyoukai. "We'll need help!"

Kagome returned to chaos. Several villagers were still running in the opposite direction, screaming about the deadly power of Nameless, or Sesshoumaru or even her. Some hovered around the accident scene, holding their limbs and their heads and moaning. But it was to the unlucky few trapped underneath the fallen rock that Kagome ran. Blood was beginning to mix with the rain and wails of pain pierced the air.

"Will it strike again?" she asked as Sesshoumaru easily caught up.

"I will take you away again if it does," he murmured. "I only knew for certain a second before it happened."

"I know," she said and the trust in her voice surprised him. She was certain he would never endanger these irritating humans, he realized, even though he hated them so passionately for what they did to her. "Help me, Sesshoumaru."

He looked to see a young woman pinned beneath a large stone. It was unlikely she would live, but he lifted it off of her as Kagome knelt down. "Kagome," he began, seeing the woman's injuries properly. Now he was certain she would not live.

"It'll be okay," she was saying to the woman. She brushed back the woman's hair and looked up at the taiyoukai. He saw that she knew the woman's fate. "I don't have anything to numb the pain," she said to him, wincing as the woman began to cry.

He knelt down in the mud and brought up one hand, letting it glow with green poison. "I do," he said.

"Don't let them see," she whispered back, nodding to the other villagers. Midoriko was moving among them, alternately telling some to stay where they were and others that they could safely walk back to the village. "They'll think you're killing her."

Sesshoumaru shrugged, displaying a nonchalance that he did not truly feel. He had never cared for scenes like this, where the innocent were crying in pain. Not that these people were innocent, he reminded himself as he touched his poison claws to the woman's wounds. But they were more innocent than the warriors that fell on the battlefield.

The woman quieted and he looked up to see Kagome moving onto the next victim. She was already muddy and covered in blood and her teeth were chattering, but she lifted a sizable rock off a man's leg and began to murmur assurances to him.

She was stronger than even he suspected.

The taiyoukai stood up and followed, moving down a rough line and clearing away the debris. He found three more that had died instantly and another that he applied his poison to, so that he would slip into the darkness without pain. Kagome was now behind him, moving efficiently and wrapping up injuries as she comforted. She never seemed to hurry, but she kept pace and soon, the injured ones that could move were walking back to the village. A few were carried, but except for five of them, they would all live.

Sesshoumaru lifted a small girl into his arms as Kagome stood between two villagers, serving as their crutch. Midoriko was already halfway to the village, helping another man that had a crushed foot and with Akemi trailing behind them.

"Are you going to kill us?" asked the little girl in his arms. She wiped the rain from her face and peered up at him.

The taiyoukai turned his cold, golden eyes down to her. "If I was planning to kill you, I would not be carrying you to the village," he said.

"Why aren't you going to kill us?"

"Do you wish me to?" he asked with a frown. Her eyes widened and he sighed inwardly as he began to walk. "I do not kill children."

"But you kill grown-ups," she argued.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he said, "but not here. Not today."

"You kill bad grown-ups," she said. "Like my uncle. He hurt the lady." She pointed back towards Kagome, who was walking slowly behind them. "My mama says he was crazy."

"Agreed," Sesshoumaru said. He paused and looked at her leg, which was blossoming in red, purple and black bruises. "Are you in pain?"

The girl bit her lip and shook her head. She was lying, but he decided to respect her bravery rather than question it. "Is that demon really dead like Lady Midoriko said?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

The girl frowned in thought for a moment. "Does that mean my papa isn't coming back?"

"He will not come back," Sesshoumaru confirmed.

She nodded. "That's okay. I don't miss him. He died before I was born," she said.

"And your mother?"

The little girl shrugged. "Mama said that she doesn't remember what he looks like," she said. "She says that she only remembers how he smelled." She wrinkled her nose.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to look back over his shoulder. Instead, he took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of ginger and citrus that permeated his clothing, even when it was sopping wet. "I suspect," he said after a moment, "that that is a good thing."

"That's what Mama says. She says she'll always remember it."

The storm still cracked and boomed behind them as they entered the village. Midoriko was there already, bandaging up the wounds of those that had run and ushering them all into their homes. She looked up at the taiyoukai as he approached and smiled softly. "Her mother has been looking for her," she said, pointing back over his shoulder.

A woman came forward tentatively and reached out for her daughter. Sesshoumaru willingly surrendered the little girl and both of them listened as she rattled off about how kind the demon had been to her. The mother finally turned her eyes to the taiyoukai and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru," she murmured.

The demon nodded. "Her leg needs a better splint," he said, "or it will heal incorrectly. That is only temporary."

The mother bowed again. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Hm," he muttered moving away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" cried the girl and he looked back. "Will you come back?"

Kagome glanced up from where she was passing off her patients to others. She was listening with surprise in her eyes. "Taiyoukai are always around," he answered, earning himself smiles from both the little girl and the miko.

The rain was already easing up as the storm moved east and away from the valley, but Midoriko and Kagome urged the villagers to go inside and get some warmth and rest. "You need those comforts for yourself," Sesshoumaru said as Kagome prodded the last of the accident victims into his home. A few men were walking into the distance at the base of the mountain to gather the dead.

Kagome sighed and wiped a wet, muddy lock from her forehead. "We can't. I have to get back. Time is pressing down on us."

Midoriko looked towards the large hut at the end of the row. Ruka was standing in the doorway, her gnarled hand on the frame. She looked frailer than Kagome remembered. "I must speak with Ruka-san," said the elder miko. "But I would like to accompany you on the rest of your journey."

"That will allow us the chance to clean up," he said, before Kagome could protest. "We will return here before nightfall."

"But…"

"I will transform," Sesshoumaru said, interrupting the young miko. "I can easily carry both of you on my back and we will recover the lost time and more."

Kagome's exhaustion was such that she could only nod in agreement and Midoriko waved good-bye as he shouldered Kagome's filthy yellow bag, took the young miko into his arms and jumped into the air. She shivered. "Where are we going?" she murmured sleepily.

"There is a hot spring nearby," he said. "They are plentiful in this region."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," she said against his shoulder.

"I will only allow you in if you promise that you will not fall asleep and drown," he warned, trying to twist his body in the air so that she was more sheltered from the wind.

Kagome smiled up at him. "I promise."

In just a few minutes, Sesshoumaru alighted on the edge of a hot spring. It had two pools, separated by a small wall of rock over which you could easily see if you tried. He could smell the villagers' scents everywhere. This was the spring they used on a regular basis, but they would not be coming here tonight. And it was not raining here.

He set her down and she stretched, her spine popping easily. "Okay, turn around," she said. "And close your eyes too."

Sesshoumaru complied and listened as her wet clothes came off and were laid with care upon the warm rocks. He waited until he heard the splash of water that meant she was in the spring before he began to shed his weapons and outer kimono.

"What are you _doing_?" Kagome squealed at his back.

He turned to see her red-faced and chin-deep in the water. He arched an irritated eyebrow at the swirls of steam obscuring her from view. "Surely you do not intend to condemn me to be filthy while you are clean?" he asked. "I will go into the other pool."

"But you can _see_," Kagome protested.

He smirked. "If I chose to, I could have _seen_ long ago." He quickly sobered. "Do you not trust my wishes to merely get clean?"

Kagome frowned at him. "Well, yes, I suppose…"

"Then our problem is not a problem," he said, and he continued to disrobe.

She flushed scarlet and turned around. "Sesshoumaru! You're being so… not you!"

"On the contrary, I find nothing embarrassing about the unclothed form and have only kept my distance in the past because I have had no similar need to bathe. But I do now," he said.

"Okay," she muttered, sinking deeper into the pool so that only her ears and eyes were above the water. Her heart was skittering in a frantic beat, even when she heard that he was safely ensconced in his own side of the spring. But finally, the need to breathe overwhelmed her and she lifted her head out of the water.

"You promised me that you would not drown," he said.

"I didn't drown," she replied breathily. She hesitantly turned to look at him and found that he was sitting with his eyes closed against the farthest rock, covered in water up to his collarbone. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved, but quickly decided she was relieved. Yes, she told herself, relieved. Of course.

Kami, he had beautiful shoulders.

"You are staring," he said, cracking one eye open.

Kagome turned scarlet again. "No, I'm not," she argued. She huffed and turned away to grab her shampoo. "I'm no Miroku."

"The monk?" he questioned. "The one you travel with?"

She nodded and looked back at him. "He's just a lecher," she said.

Sesshoumaru was no longer relaxed. "You failed to mention this before," he said. "What _exactly_ does he do?"

Kagome arched an eyebrow. "He's harmless," she replied. "And you're starting to sound like Inuyasha."

The taiyoukai scowled and forced himself to sit back again. "I doubt that."

"It doesn't mean anything," she said with a shrug, pouring some shampoo into her palm and began to rub it into her hair. "Inuyasha has Kikyo, remember? But he's my friend and he's protective of me. So is Miroku, for that matter. As much of a lecher he is, he does protect me when the times call for it. Besides," she added, "he hasn't done anything since he and Sango got together. I told you about that."

"You failed to mention what he acted like before they were 'together'," Sesshoumaru said, trying to temper the irritation in his voice.

"He's very well-behaved now," she said with a smile. "Hold on."

She dipped under the water, scrubbing at her hair and washing out the shampoo. When she rose up again, she barely bit back a shriek. Sesshoumaru was at the rock wall, staring over it. "You're one to talk!" she said, crossing her arms underwater and staying down low. "Pervert."

He nodded absently and Kagome noticed that he was not looking directly at her, only at his claws tapping against the rock. She straightened up a bit. "What's wrong?" she asked, hesitantly moving closer.

"It simply occurred to me," he said, "that it is all irrelevant."

"What is?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged, still keeping his eyes upon his hand, which was tapping more furiously now. "I am betrothed to a dragon," he said. "I have no place to be protective of anyone other than my intended mate."

Kagome's heart skipped a beat and he looked up at her. He had heard it, but she schooled her features. "You forgot this until now?" she asked.

"I… I did," he replied, sounding slightly surprised. "Perhaps I did not wish to remember."

"Tomorrow you go back to your normal life and to her then?" Kagome murmured.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and Kagome realized that his hair was unbound, like the Sesshoumaru she remembered from so long ago, and yet in the future. "No, I never go to her. I do not want her."

Kagome swallowed and tried to catch the breath that suddenly had escaped her. "I… Sesshoumaru…" She fell silent and frowned.

He leaned forward over the rock. "What is it?"

"I forgot to tell you. Your father and I spoke after, after our _fight_," she said the word with a sad heaviness, "and he told me that he had refused Ryokotsusei's offer. You're not betrothed to his daughter. You never were, officially."

Sesshoumaru stared. "I am not mated to a dragon?"

Kagome frowned for a moment. "I wouldn't lie."

"Of course not," he said, shaking himself slightly. "It is simply surprising. I wonder what he has arranged instead. My father has rarely considered my own feelings on such matters."

"That's not true," Kagome protested. "He thinks about them a lot. That's why he sent the messenger away."

Sesshoumaru gave her a scrutinizing look. "He would not have done so without a good reason. For example," he said, "he might have chosen someone else."

The girl blushed yet again. "He did," she murmured.

The taiyoukai's gaze fell back to his hand. "Yes, of course he did." He seemed to be trying very hard not to bury his claws into the rock. "Do you know who it is? Is it Touran?"

"Yes, I know. No, it's not Touran."

The catch in her voice forced his eyes back to her face. "Kagome," he began, "is it you?"

She drew a long, shaky breath before she nodded. "I-It's getting kinda warm," she whispered after a long moment of silence. She began to back up when his hand reached over and caught her wrist, pulling her back to the rock. Kagome looked up into fiery eyes.

"He chose you?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"Yes," she answered, lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" he questioned, suddenly harsh. He let out a frustrated sigh as she gave him a startled glance. "Kagome, if my father chose you then he is willing to stand up to those that would oppose my taking of a human mate."

Kagome blinked. "But he said he told you to take me as your mate."

"That was not enough," Sesshoumaru said. "That is passively allowing me to do as I wished. If my father actually turned away a mate like Ryokotsusei's daughter and asked you instead, he actively is allowing me to have you and you alone."

The girl lowered her head, laughing grimly. "I think you're making too much of a distinction."

"No," he said, growling lightly and pulling her even closer so that they were both pressed against the rock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did not wish to remember," she repeated his words. She saw hurt begin to enter his eyes and quickly added, "I didn't think it would matter to you!"

He sighed heavily. "Kagome, it matters," he said. "I would choose no one in this world except for you."

The strength in her legs drifted away and she sank into the water slightly. "And I wouldn't choose anyone but you," she murmured. She shook her head as he opened his mouth. "Not even Inuyasha. _Especially_ not Inuyasha."

He nodded and their fingers intertwined. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Suddenly, I wish that I had defied your wishes and come into your pool."

Kagome blushed. "Sesshoumaru…"

He held up his free hand and closed his eyes for a moment. "Do not say it. I know that whatever responsibility I had has been at least partially erased, but that yours remains."

Kagome nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"Now that is something to be sorry for," he said.

She smiled at him. "Two jokes in as many moments. Have I changed you so much?"

He shook his head. "Perhaps I have always been amusing and you have never noticed it before," he said.

"No, I don't think so," she replied. "Your jokes have never been that amusing."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow as she laughed softly. "I see. I shall remain serious then."

"Oh, no, don't do that," she said, leaning forward. "I like it. In small doses."

"Very well. In small doses." His eyes drifted down to her lips, before he pulled away. "We must dress. We have a long way to go tonight."

Kagome nodded and drew back as well. The hot spring no longer felt that warm. "Alright," she murmured, "I'll go first. Close your eyes."

They dressed successively but quickly, even though Kagome's hands were shaking. He just admitted that he wanted to take her as his mate, she silently mused. But did that mean he loved her? Or not? Perhaps she was simply the most agreeable female he knew? Was that enough?

It felt so natural, saying what she had said and hearing what he had said in return. It was like an ending to a long story. But they both knew that it hadn't solved any of their problems. It was a story without an ending and Kagome found herself fearing what was to come. Her strength was failing again and she wasn't sure she could return to Inuyasha's time.

"I am dressed," Sesshoumaru announced and she looked back from where she was sitting with her still damp clothes folded in her lap.

Kagome stood and packed away her old kimono, folding it in plastic so that it wouldn't make everything else wet. "Alright, I'm ready." She looked at him. "Are you sure that you want to transform tonight?"

He looked at her for a moment. "I thought that time was of the essence," he murmured.

The girl nodded, hoisting her bag back on her shoulders and coming to his side. "It is," she conceded. "Let's go."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and crouched slightly to jump into the air, but paused. "I might not be able to do this again," he said.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She sighed and her arms went around his neck and into his still unbound hair, scraping her nails lightly upon his nape. Sesshoumaru drew her close and his fangs pressed against her lips, making her open her mouth slightly. He tasted like cinnamon and raspberries and everything else Kagome loved and yet could not name. Too soon though, he moved away.

Kagome smiled and touched his cheek. It was definitely rosier than usual, but she did not mention it as he turned his head and pressed another kiss to her palm. "We should go," he murmured.

She withdrew her hand. "Thank you."

He nodded once and then jumped into the sky.

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A/N: How much do you hate me? Hopefully not a lot as this was a VERY difficult chapter to write. But, it's done and I'm quite happy with it. I hope that the whole confession scene made sense. They've admitted things (not everything!) but it's still not enough to bring them together. Le sigh. Poor Kagome and Sesshoumaru.

I hope to get the next chapter out WAY quicker than this one – I actually know most of what's going to happen, for instance. It'll be shorter, I think, but that does usually mean quicker too. So it's a trade-off.


	20. Parting of the Ways

A/N: Sleepyxtunaxfish alerted me to a YouTube amv by muchuuninari inspired by this story. Since FFN messes up all links, I have to give it to you like this – http ://youtube. com/ watch?v L9FSj9ilpec – just take out all the spaces. It's very, very good. I listened to/watched it several times while writing this chapter. Anyway, check out the awesome vid. And thanks to muchuuninari!

The title is from an episode of another favorite show of mine, _Doctor Who_.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 20: Parting of the Ways

They landed in front of Ruka's hut and found Midoriko already sitting on the front step. "How did it go?" Kagome asked as Sesshoumaru set her down. "I didn't actually expect you to finish so quickly. And you had time to get cleaned up too."

The elder miko, dressed in a fresh set of priestess robes, smiled. "Well, the only part that she really cared about was that Nameless is dead. She'll tell the villagers tomorrow and they'll have time to think about it while we're gone. When I come back, they'll be ready to ask more questions." The smile wavered. "I hope I can answer them."

"I think they're just going to want the entire truth and then just forget all of it," Kagome said. "You don't have to worry."

Midoriko stood. "I will try," she promised. She took a breath and smiled again. "But at the moment, I am prepared to leave."

Kagome's chest tightened and her breath caught. Sesshoumaru leaned forward in alarm. "Kagome?"

The young woman looked up at the other miko and they shared a distressed look. "We're still going, aren't we?" Midoriko asked.

"Yes," Kagome said, raising her head. "Yes, of course we are."

Sesshoumaru frowned at the two women, slightly irritated at being cut out of the silent conversation going on between them. But after a moment, Kagome turned to him and slipped her hand into his. "We're ready," she said. "But perhaps you should transform away from the village?"

He nodded, his hand releasing hers, and walked away towards the fields and the broad road that ran alongside them. Midoriko leaned over to Kagome once the taiyoukai was out of earshot. "You looked very happy when you first arrived," she murmured.

Kagome blushed. "It's nothing," she lied.

"You are a terrible liar, Kagome."

"I know," she said with a shrug. "But I don't want to talk about it right now. I can't talk about it. Let's just watch him transform. It's really something."

Midoriko took a breath. "Alright. You've seen this before then?"

"The actual transformation? Only once. I was terrified but it was impressive," Kagome replied. She smiled slightly. "He nearly killed me that day."

Midoriko's eyes widened. "Is it that violent of a transformation?"

Kagome resisted the urge to laugh at how her friend had changed. The old Midoriko would have assumed the truth. "No, actually, he nearly killed me because he was _trying_ to kill me that day."

"Oh. I see."

"In all fairness, I just had taken what he thought of as his birthright. And obviously, he didn't manage to kill me."

Midoriko arched an eyebrow but said nothing more. Instead she looked towards the hut directly across from Ruka's and nudged Kagome with her elbow. "Someone else is interested in Sesshoumaru's transformation."

Kagome looked and saw the girl that Sesshoumaru had carried back to the village. She was hanging just inside the doorway, leaning against a crutch and gazing after Sesshoumaru with rapt attention. As Kagome watched, her mother appeared and then a teenaged boy. Turning around, she saw several of the pale faces in the doorways down the avenue. Ruka was apparently the only one asleep in this village.

"Oh!"

Midoriko's exclamation returned Kagome's attention to the fields. The wind was picking up, swirling around Sesshoumaru like a personal hurricane. It whipped his unbound hair up and for a moment, she could not distinguish him from that demon that had once tried to kill her in his father's tomb. His eyes bled red and Kagome heard a few small cries and whimpers, but she grabbed Midoriko's wrist as the priestess tried to move. "No. Just watch," she said.

Sesshoumaru's face lengthened and turned feral as Kagome's breathing quickened. Remembering it was not the same as actually seeing it. She had forgotten the sheer thrill of feeling his power crackle across her skin, even from this distance. It was mildly painful but it was easily ignored.

He burst into a crimson light and shot up into the sky, drawing gasps from the onlookers. Sesshoumaru's incorporeal form curled once in the wind and came back down, exploding into his youkai form. And then there was an enormous white dog demon standing at the edge of the fields. His brilliant red eyes swept over the village before finally coming to rest upon the two miko. A low rumble came from his throat.

Kagome let out the breath she had been holding, smiled and tugged on Midoriko's hand. "Come on. He's waiting," she said.

Midoriko stumbled behind her. "He's… monstrous!" she exclaimed and then immediately sobered. "I meant, he's _terrifying_. It isn't what I expected."

The younger miko laughed. "I don't think he'll take that as an insult," she said. Kagome looked over her shoulder as they walked towards Sesshoumaru and saw that most of the villagers were on their front steps or even in the street, staring at the taiyoukai in awe. She chuckled again under her breath. It was always the same reaction, wherever he went, in whatever form he chose.

"Show off," Kagome muttered as they approached. Sesshoumaru was still standing, staring down at the villagers with superiority in his eyes. "Don't _try_ to intimidate them. They'll be talking about this for days as it is, Sesshoumaru."

"Weeks, probably," Midoriko added.

"Don't encourage him," Kagome said, still laughing. She was giddy and she wondered why. Sesshoumaru growled down at her, making the ground quiver. "What?" She turned her eyes up to him and he stopped immediately, lowering himself down so that they could both clamber onto his back.

Sesshoumaru waited until they stopped moving about and stood up, prepared to run. "Look," Midoriko said, stopping him.

The taiyoukai and the young miko turned to see the villagers bowing deeply. "They're apologizing, I think," Midoriko said quietly. "Showing you the respect you deserve."

"You too," Kagome murmured. And although she felt a bit like a beauty queen on a parade float, she waved to the villagers. A few even waved back. Her heart warmed. There was hope yet for this town.

"They'll be fine," Midoriko said, confirming her thoughts. "Do you forgive them?"

The younger woman sighed as Sesshoumaru twisted his head to look back at them. "I think that I have to," she said.

"They'll be happy to hear it," Midoriko murmured.

Kagome smiled softly, hoping that her friend was right. "Let's go."

Sesshoumaru crouched and took a great leap into the air, making both women shriek, one in delight and the other in surprise. He let out a little breath that sounded almost like a laugh.

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Midoriko and Kagome didn't sleep during the night. Midoriko apparently suffered a fear of flying and sat so stiffly that Kagome had to frequently check that the woman was still breathing. For her own part, Kagome had missed much of her last trip with a transformed Sesshoumaru due to her concern about Koga, the utter misery about her fight with the taiyoukai and the recent deaths. She was determined to enjoy these last few hours with both of her friends and to watch the night scenery pass by. The only one that slept was Akemi, tucked between the two miko so she would not fall.

The stars turned overhead, spinning on the axle of the North Star. The waxing moon, now a silver half-disc, rose and set. Below them, the black ground moved swiftly and when Sesshoumaru took a great leap, Kagome could see the starlight shining in water and a few fires still lit in villages. She would bury her hands into Sesshoumaru's thick coat and let him warm her when a particularly strong gust of wind circled them.

It was a surprise when she began to see the gray of a rising sun in the east. Because it was almost winter, Kagome knew that the night had lasted a long time and yet she had barely felt it. She turned again to make sure Midoriko was still doing all right. Her fear during the night had abated to a glassy wide-eyed stare down at the ground below them, but Kagome knew her muscles would be sore from holding herself so rigidly for so long. Even Kagome was beginning to ache from the long trip.

"Sesshoumaru," she asked, leaning forward, "are we going to set down soon? I think we could both stretch our legs."

His red eyes turned to look at her for a brief moment before he began to slow down to a trot and then an easy walk. He was panting slightly as he finally pressed his belly to the ground. Midoriko slid off first, her feet and hand touching the ground worshipfully as she landed. Kagome smiled and climbed down after her with Akemi. She stretched and grimaced as her muscles protested. "Oh, ouch," she muttered, earning herself a soft growl from the taiyoukai. She looked back at him. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. It was just a long trip, is all I meant. It was very comfortable, really."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and laid his head down while Kagome walked over to Midoriko. The elder miko frowned as her muscles pulled and resisted too. "That was a bit too airborne for me," she murmured.

Kagome smothered a grin as Midoriko stretched. "Sesshoumaru never would have let you fall," she said.

The elder miko frowned. "I know."

"Then what were you afraid of?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted after a moment. "I suppose I think that humans are supposed to keep both feet on the ground. It feels unnatural to be that far up."

Kagome let herself smile. "I suppose so. I guess that's why I like it though. It's the closest we'll ever get to flying." She heard a rustle of grass and glanced over her shoulder to see that Sesshoumaru had gotten to his feet. "Already? That wasn't much of a rest, Sesshoumaru!"

The demon cast her an irritated look and suddenly glowed bright, contracting into an orb of light. The orb hovered only for a moment before Sesshoumaru appeared in his normal, human-like form. He took a moment roll his shoulders before answering. "No, it was not," he agreed, "but the village where I found you is only a short walk from here. We will reach it on foot before the sun truly rises."

"Oh," Kagome said with a slight frown. "So just a short time and we'll be back?"

Sesshoumaru turned to look at her and his golden eyes flickered with what Kagome thought might be regret. "Very short," he replied softly.

The girl glanced around and saw that she did indeed recognize the rough lines of the land. The trees had grown and been cut, but the swell of the hills followed a pattern that was suddenly familiar. She could almost picture her friends in this same clearing, eating lunch before heading north, south, east or west in search of a jewel shard. She wondered how long she would have to stare at these hills once she returned to Inuyasha's time before she could find Sesshoumaru again.

Midoriko cleared her throat gently. "Perhaps we should walk to the village and have some breakfast before we part ways," she suggested, taking Akemi from Kagome's arms.

"Alright," Kagome agreed tonelessly. She unabashedly approached Sesshoumaru and took his hand in hers. He held onto her tightly and they began to walk towards the village. Midoriko and Akemi followed in silence.

"I don't really have a lot for breakfast," Kagome said. "Just tea, really. Is tea okay?"

"Tea is fine," Sesshoumaru replied, not looking at her but pulling her even closer to his side.

"I hope my little kettle has survived the trip," she said.

He shrugged. "I do not need anything, Kagome. Whatever you have is sufficient."

Kagome nodded, but only managed to remain quiet for a few moments. "Take care of Koga," she murmured. "At least check in on him every once in awhile. And thank your father again for me. And…" She trailed off and bit her lip. He wouldn't remember any of this, she realized.

He squeezed her hand, misunderstanding her unfinished sentence. "Very well," he replied. "I will do as you ask."

She wanted to call him a liar, even though he didn't know he was lying. She had to clench her free hand against her side to remind herself that she could not say anything. She knew that Midoriko was watching carefully.

Her yellow, filthy backpack suddenly felt very, very heavy. She began to take deep, long breaths to ease her light-headedness.

"If you told me," Sesshoumaru said suddenly and quietly, "I could help you, Kagome."

She closed her eyes, trying not to cry or collapse or react in any other way. She was so close and she was afraid she would not last these last few minutes of not telling him. "I can't," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears.

"Yes," he said in a clipped, almost shameful, tone. His shoulders straightened and he glanced away. "I know. I do not know why I said it."

Kagome looked up at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Midoriko was meandering far behind. "I want to stay with you too," she said softly. "I wish… I wish a lot of things. I've never hated being a priestess before."

"It is your path," he murmured. "Your fate."

"Not the one that I want anymore," she said.

He was going to reply and say something important, she knew, but instead his head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at the horizon. "Something is wrong," he said.

"Demons?"

The taiyoukai shook his head. "No. Just fear. Human fear." His nose wrinkled. "And something else. I am uncertain of what it is. But it is just _not right_."

The miko frowned, hoping that it was not what had just crossed her mind. "Get Midoriko. You'll have to bring us there."

He nodded and went back, saying only a few words to the elder miko before picking her up with an arm around her waist. He became a blur, speeding back past Kagome and grabbing her as well. The two women exchanged a concerned glance as Sesshoumaru carried them effortlessly over the ground, so fast that his feet barely hit the grass.

They crested the hill in mere moments and the well appeared in front of them. The barrier that she and Midoriko had set up had held, but it wasn't just smoke now. Black tar was oozing around the inside edge of the barrier, moving so that Kagome knew the well was feeding it quickly. Villagers were clustered together on the far side of the well, talking quietly. Some were crying and clinging to their neighbors. It was far worse than Kagome had thought.

There would be no time for breakfast.

"Lady Midoriko!" cried out some of the villagers. "Please! What is happening?"

Midoriko held up her hand and walked towards them. "It will be taken care of shortly," she said. "But you need to return to your homes. I will come and tell you when everything is alright again. But I will not have anyone near this well that doesn't have to be here." She saw them looking towards Sesshoumaru and Kagome, and she saw the recognition spark in their eyes. "Go now. There is no danger if you go back home. Staying to argue will only make things worse."

The villagers looked at one another, but most of them were all too happy to leave the clearing and not be close to the well any longer. They began to shuffle away, casting suspicious, fearful glances over their shoulders.

Midoriko beckoned to Kagome to come closer. "This must be done now. Soon they _will_ be in danger, no matter where they are," said the elder miko, quietly enough so that Sesshoumaru was unlikely to hear from his place. "Kagome, you must go immediately. There is no time."

The girl took a deep, shuddering breath. "I know, but I didn't think we'd be this rushed."

"It's breaking though," said Midoriko, gesturing towards the barrier. Her expression was calm, but every word was spoken as rapidly as possible. "The pressure from the inside is too strong. It _will_ break. Can't you feel it?"

Kagome nodded. It was like someone tapping at the back of her mind. Tapping at a thin pane of glass, which was not meant to take even the smallest of abuses. She could almost see the cracks in her mind. "I can," she said. She suddenly sobbed. "But I don't want to leave like this! You're my friend."

Midoriko smiled and they embraced. "You were never meant to speak to me at all," she murmured in Kagome's ear. "So it's all right. Besides, as my friend, I think the best thing that you can do is to save my time."

They separated, laughing mirthlessly at Midoriko's observation, but the girl's eyes were still full of tears. "You have to take care of Akemi!" she said suddenly. "She likes you. She just needs someone to look after her. You'll take care of her, right?"

The elder miko scooped up the fire-cat and held her gently. "Of course, Kagome," she said, watching as the girl leaned forward to kiss the kitten on the forehead.

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

Midoriko knew Kagome was stalling, but she had no great desire to see the girl leave either. "The witch told me," she murmured.

Kagome frowned. "Everything?" she whispered.

The priestess shook her head. "No, of course not." She sighed lightly. "I feel I have a lot of penance still to do. Not just for my village but every village that Nameless hurt in any way. I helped him, after all."

"You're making it sound worse than it was," Kagome said.

Midoriko smiled indulgently. "No," she said, "I'm not. You know that."

The younger woman frowned. "Did the witch tell you that you had to make up for all that you did?" she asked.

"No. She forgave me. You were there for that," said the priestess. "But she's not the only one that can give me forgiveness. She simply said that if I wished it, I could erase the pain I caused. And that one day, I would create something greater than myself."

Kagome tried not to frown again. The Shikon no Tama caused nothing _but_ pain. And Kagome was in no way convinced that the jewel was greater than her friend. "I hope everything works out as it's supposed to," was all that Kagome could say. "I wonder why she told you so much and yet so little though?"

"I don't know," admitted Midoriko. "But maybe that's the point. Maybe she just wanted to give me enough courage to go on, but not so much information that I would be afraid of it. Because you really shouldn't be afraid of what the kami have in store for you, no matter what it is."

They looked at one another and the younger priestess knew in that moment that Midoriko – either with the witch's implication or by herself – had figured out that she would die, and probably die soon, seeking this redemption. Kagome tried to remember how old the stone statute of her friend had looked in Inuyasha's time, but she couldn't recall. All she could see in her mind's eye now was the living, breathing miko in front of her now. It couldn't be more than a few years though. Kagome's heart began to break.

The priestess sighed again, easing an uncomfortable moment. "How are you going to…?" Midoriko trailed off and gave her friend an earnest look.

Kagome shook her head. "I'll think of something. Very quickly."

"I'll wait until the end," murmured Midoriko, leaning close for a brief moment. "I'll make sure everything goes alright."

Kagome nodded and took a breath. "Goodbye, Midoriko."

Midoriko smiled. "Goodbye, Kagome. Thank you." Holding Akemi to her, the elder woman stepped back and retreated to the shadows of the trees.

For a moment, Kagome stayed in place, her back to where she knew Sesshoumaru was standing. When she finally took a breath and turned, he was suddenly close enough to touch. "You scared me," she said. Her vision blurred and she began to cry silently.

"No, I did not," he replied. He gathered Kagome to him and watched as her tears bled into his haori.

"Please don't make me leave," she whispered.

"I would never do so," he said. "You are the one that will leave."

Kagome slowly pulled away and nodded. "Just remember that I don't want to." She looked at him and tried to smile, failing utterly. Instead, she choked back a sob. "I only have a few more minutes and I can't think of what to say!" she lamented.

Sesshoumaru took a breath and stepped close to her, one hand tilting her chin up so that she would meet his gaze. "I cannot think of anything either," he admitted.

She let out a soft, tear-filled laugh. "How about that I'll miss you?"

"That is nice to hear," he murmured.

"Can you tell me that you'll wait?" she asked. "For me to show up again? Because I will."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding. "I will have an empire waiting for you," he said.

She smiled. "I don't need an empire." She wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his haori. "You need armor," she whispered. "It'll save your life one day. I'm sure of it."

"I will wear armor," he conceded.

Kagome saw Midoriko move in the far shadows and she frowned, pulling away again. "And you need to do one other thing for me," she said, suddenly improvising. There was no time for deception. "Promise that you'll do it and not ask any questions, because I can't answer them."

He frowned slightly and did not answer.

Kagome shrugged off her yellow backpack. "You trust me, Sesshoumaru," she said. It was not a question.

He answered anyway. "Yes, of course." He watched as she pulled a small vial from her backpack. "What is that?"

"No questions, remember?" she murmured, turning her brown eyes up to him.

Sesshoumaru recoiled slightly. "It smells of magic."

"It is," she said. She took his hand. "I'm almost glad it happened this way. I didn't want to trick you into drinking it. That trust you have in me isn't misplaced, Sesshoumaru. I didn't want to give you any reason to doubt it. But somehow, you must drink this."

His golden eyes hardened. "Kagome, if you had brewed this, I would not hesitate. But this is not your priestess magic, it is the magic of that witch. Did you think I could not tell the difference?"

Kagome glanced at the well. The tapping in her head was turning into a steady drumbeat. The barrier would break very soon. "I know you can tell the difference," she said, "but you have to remember that the witch wanted nothing more than to help us."

"I trust you, not her," he snapped. "What is it supposed to do to me?"

The truth was on the tip of her tongue for only a moment, but it was the most difficult moment of her life. She took a breath and remembered the witch's warnings. "No questions," she said again after it passed. "If you trust me, than you'll trust this. Because I know that the witch is only trying to fix something that threatens everything that both of us value most."

His jaw was clenched. "Kagome…"

"What use is the empire you're going to give me if it's an empire of dirt?" she asked, interrupting him with a harsh edge. "What use is it if both of us are dead?"

"Surely my drinking this liquid," he said, gesturing at the vial, "will not determine such things."

Kagome pressed it into his hands and stepped away, releasing him. "Yes. It will," she said. "But I'll give you the choice, Sesshoumaru. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to. If you don't believe me."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the vial, filled with the murky brown liquid. "Will it harm me?" he asked. "Irreparably?"

She hesitated. "No," she said finally, hoping that she was not lying.

He could smell her uncertainty, but he knew that he would do it. If she had said it would kill him, he would have done it. "Do not take my acquiescence as a sign of weakness," he said, uncorking the vial at last.

Kagome shook her head. "Quite the opposite," she said. She lowered her head. "I'll explain everything to you one day."

"You say that often," he replied. "But explanations are immaterial."

"I don't think they are," Kagome said. "There is a reason for this."

He nodded. "The fact that there is a reason is the only explanation I need from you, Kagome," he said.

He took a deep breath of the contents. It had no scent. Sesshoumaru had a brief, ridiculous thought that perhaps he was the only one that could not smell it.

With one glance at the young miko, the taiyoukai put the vial to his lips and drank. Although it had no aroma, its taste was strong, although he could not quite describe it. If pressed, he would have said that it tasted like Kagome, when he had kissed her by the hot springs.

But when he turned to tell Kagome, he stumbled. The girl caught him with some difficulty, holding him up with her hands on his chest. "Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes going wide.

"Yes," he said, still leaning against her shoulder. She led him over to the nearest tree and he sat down heavily at its base. "I am just tired," he added, leaning back against the tree trunk and closing his eyes. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, a gesture that seemed disturbingly human to Kagome. "My head aches."

"I'm sorry," she said, kneeling down beside him. She pressed a hand to his cheek and frowned. He was too warm. "She didn't tell me that it would affect you so quickly."

He opened his eyes. "Who?"

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. "No one," she said. "I… I have to go, Sesshoumaru."

He nodded slowly. "I know." He looked at her and the confusion seeping into his expression made her break into tears again. "Kagome, why are you crying? Stop that, woman."

She shook her head, trying to clear her head. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't cry. I just don't want to leave."

"Why would you leave?" he asked with a frown. "You are being quite difficult, Kagome."

She nodded. "I know. I don't mean it." She leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. Their breath mingled and she traced a finger along one stripe on his cheek. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"I am not," he said with a soft growl. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Kagome saw the smallest of smiles on his face. She wasn't sure what he was talking about anymore.

"Neither am I really," she said, forcing her own smile.

The confusion faded for one precious moment. "I take you as my own mate, Kagome," he said. "I would have no other."

"I take you as mine," she replied, trying so hard not to cry that she ached. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss, threading his claws through her hair. She held him to her so tightly that a human would have been gasping for air, but he did not complain. She only pulled away when the drumming in her head quickened. "I would have no other either," she said breathlessly.

He did actually smile now as he leaned back against the tree. "I know," he said, his eyes closing again.

Kagome pressed a chaste kiss to the crescent on his forehead. "I love you."

But he was asleep. Kagome sighed and let herself smile a little at his poor timing, which was so out of character for Sesshoumaru. Even with the smile though, tears began to drip down her cheeks again. He wasn't going to see them, so she let them fall. "I'll tell you when I see you again," she confided. "I'll find you right away, I promise."

She stood and walked to her bag, slinging it up onto her shoulder. Midoriko was out of the shadows now, waving solemnly with Akemi sitting at her feet. Kagome waved back and then looked at the barrier that was barely containing the smoke and the tar from the well. She could cross it, of course, because she created it. But she had no idea how the contents of the bubble would affect her.

She did not glance back at the sleeping form of Sesshoumaru. She would go back if she did that, she knew. Instead, Kagome took a deep breath, wiped away the tears and walked forward.

The barrier gave way, sliding over her skin and closing again behind her. The disturbance only weakened it further though, and Kagome could not help but let loose a little cry at the pounding in her head. The tar was suddenly rising around her calves and the smoke flowed into her throat, making her cough.

Kagome put her sleeve over her mouth, but her eyes were already watering. She couldn't see the well and the tar was pulling her down. It sloshed against her legs in waves. She tried to push it all back with her powers, but the light at the tips of her fingers sputtered and died almost immediately. She couldn't purify the putrid air or the muck around her feet, but she could feel the thousands of demonic auras nearby. They were still in the well, but not for long. Kagome could hear the first squeals and whines of the imprisoned beasts.

"Kagome!"

The girl turned to see Midoriko standing just outside the barrier. It was futile, Kagome realized. Midoriko could do no more than helplessly purify the smoke that was beginning to escape through the cracks in the barrier. "I'm okay!" she called to her friend. She raised her hand one more time in farewell and looked back to the epicenter of the barrier.

She relied upon Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Midoriko too much, she decided. Even if they could, Kagome knew that she wouldn't allow them to save her.

She straightened her shoulders and pulled her feet from the tar, her muscles protesting as the tar tried to pull back. The smoke was dense directly ahead and Kagome went towards the core of it, slowly walking through the black ooze. It was tiring and she hurt already and the drumming in her head was getting worse and worse. She could sense that Time was fracturing, in the same way that someone can sense that they are being watched. She shuddered, but pressed on.

"_Just shut up and let me protect you!"_

Kagome paused and turned. "Inuyasha?" she called.

"_Now, was that aimed at me?"_

Sesshoumaru's voice was so close she nearly yelped.

"_You never asked me, though…"_

Kagome listened to Sango's sad tones and frowned. Sango had said that years ago, right after she had joined the group. And she had been speaking to Miroku. As she thought, she realized that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's voices had repeated things from the past as well.

"_Sit! Sit! Sit! SIT!"_

Her own voice rang through the smoky air and Kagome scowled, realizing that she had been waylaid by echoes of the past. She went on with more determination than before, shutting out the insults, tender words and bits of normal conversation that floated around her head. It was difficult, especially when Sesshoumaru's deep tones rippled through the air. But soon, even his distinctive voice was lost amidst the increasing babble.

Her legs suddenly hit something and she blinked away the smoke in her eyes to see the outline of the well. Her heart swelled with relief until a ghastly scream ripped through the air. The demons were approaching. She felt their auras charging towards her from beneath her feet.

Not wasting another moment, she sat upon the edge of the well, swung her feet over and – hoping that she would not meet any demons on the way down – let herself fall.

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Midoriko watched with Akemi standing beside her as the well exploded with white light. The screams of demons stopped, and the smoke and the tar were sucked back inside, as Time was corrected and the effects were reversed. One single pulse of energy was emitted by the well, brushing over her face like a short gasp of wind. She would have missed the whole thing if she had blinked and when it was over, she let out a long breath. It was all right again. No one would even know the near-end the world had occurred here.

Akemi meowed and the priestess around to see Sesshoumaru at the base of the tree. He was beginning to wake up. She stayed where she was until his golden eyes opened and immediately fixed upon her. She remained still, like someone would do around a strange and distempered dog.

His brow furrowed in momentary confusion, but he quickly stood and slid his mask of indifference back into place. "You, woman," he said, addressing her with a narrowing of his eyes, "what did you do to this Sesshoumaru?"

She shook her head. "Nothing," she replied. "I found you asleep and simply wished to warn you to not go any further down this path. The village at the base of this hill…"

"As if human villagers could bother me," he scoffed, interrupting her.

Midoriko successfully resisted scowling at him for his rudeness. "No, my lord. But I have no wish to see harm come to them," she said.

Sesshoumaru didn't appear to be listening as his eyes began to flicker around the clearing. Midoriko saw that he was discreetly sniffing the air as well. The gap in his memory was presenting itself, she realized.

But the visual signs of disorientation passed as the taiyoukai's secretive nature reasserted itself. He made a little sound of irritation towards Midoriko and turned away to leave. But within an instant of moving, he clutched at his chest and put his other hand upon the tree to steady himself. The softest of gasps wafted across the clearing.

Midoriko felt alarm well up within her. "Are you alright, my lord?"

He glared and straightened, rolling his shoulders jerkily. "Of course. I am a taiyoukai," he growled.

The miko eyed him. "Of course."

He glowered at her obvious indulgence of his lie. "I have no more time to waste on you. Never approach this taiyoukai when he sleeps again and your humans are safe," he said disdainfully. He moved as if to walk off, but then paused and looked at the priestess. She imagined she could see loss in his expression, swirling with the suspicion. "Are you the only one that has approached me?"

The panic spiked again. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The taiyoukai glanced around again, briefly alighting upon the well, before meeting Midoriko's gaze again. "Nothing," he said shortly. He turned on his heel and walked off into the forest.

Midoriko let out the breath she had been holding and looked down at Akemi. "Well, he didn't kill us," she said with a shrug. She began to walk back towards the village. "Come on, Akemi. We have a lot of work to do."

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Kagome had started to worry about the length of the time the well was letting her float through the light when solid ground finally began to form beneath her feet. A harshly bright autumn day materialized above her and she shielded her eyes immediately. "Inuyasha?" she called.

Four faces popped into view. "Kagome!" Shippo squealed, as Sango and Miroku looked at one another and smiled. Inuyasha was the only one scowling as he leapt over the edge of the well and met her at the bottom.

"Took you long enough!" he snapped, wrapping one around her waist and jumping out again. He set her down on the dying grass and stepped back, tucking his hands into his sleeves. He frowned at her. "What did you do…."

Kagome wasn't listening and only had the time to note that Kikyo was absent before Shippo launched himself into her arms, drenching her neck in tears. "Shippo!" she said, half laughing and half concerned. "Don't cry! I haven't been gone that long!"

"You took _ages_!" he said. "We were so worried. Well, except dumb ol' Inuyasha."

"Be nice, Shippo," Kagome replied, ignoring the half-demon's growl. She hugged him to her. "But I am glad to see all of you."

The fox demon pulled away, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "I made a thousand paper cranes and wished for you to come back, just like you told me!" he said. "And it worked, didn't it?"

"Keh. More like thirty-seven," Inuyasha snorted. "But wench, what did…"

Kagome glared at the hanyou before looking at the fox kit and interrupting the hanyou again. "I'm sure it did, Shippo. Thank you," she said with a smile. "But you shouldn't have wished for me to return. You know that I would have! You could have used your wish any way you wanted to."

Shippo shook his head. "But Inuyasha couldn't get through the well," he said, still sniffling a bit. "And that black smoke was everywhere."

Kagome glanced back at the well. "It's fine now," she said with an indulgent smile. "You don't have anything to worry about, Shippo." She looked at the others to get their support in calming Shippo, but was surprised to find that they were all staring at her with varying levels of contemplation and concern.

"Don't think that we aren't happy to see you, Kagome," began Sango.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm beginning to. What's wrong with you guys?"

"Tell me, Kagome," said Miroku, speaking very slowly, "why are you wearing that kimono? I don't think I have ever seen you into something so ah… conservative before."

The miko glanced down at her pristine kimono. "I liked this one," she said with a shrug. "I can wear a kimono, can't I?"

"Well, yes," started the monk.

"What about your hair?" snapped Inuyasha, finally able to get his question out. "What did you do to it?"

Kagome's hand went to her shorn head and felt the curls around her ears. "I… I cut it," she said. "What's the big deal? It's not like you have any say in what I do with my hair, Inuyasha."

Sango shifted her weight. "Kagome, where have you been?" she asked quietly. "It's not just Shippo that thinks you have been gone for a long time. It's been weeks. Where did you go? What did you do for all this time? Why couldn't Inuyasha get through the well to find you? What was that smoke that we saw?" Her voice rose in pitch until she was nearly breathless.

The miko blinked and looked at each of her friends in turn. "I… I don't know," she murmured.

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A/N: I'm not going to even bother guessing what ya'll are thinking. Haha. So review and tell me!

I do feel the need to say one thing – I do read each and every review I receive. And I do appreciate all of them. Really, I cannot express how great it makes me feel to get a review. I know I don't answer them, unless someone has a very pressing question, but this is purely due to time constraints and not disinterest in what you tell me. I hope that I've made it clear that all of my readers are important to me and there are times when I can't stop smiling after reading some of your comments. So please don't be disheartened if I never reply to you. I do read them all and I especially appreciate those that take the time to regularly review. I just want that to be clear:D


	21. Pain

A/N: A record number of reviews for chapter 20! And there are officially over TWO THOUSAND reviews for this story (and that's just on FFN)! Wow! Thanks so much!

A lot of you had questions about the ending of the last chapter, but don't worry about that – all of your questions will be answered shortly. This chapter is HEAVY on exposition, but I strongly suggest that you don't skim. I tried to make it as interesting as possible. Enjoy!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 21: Pain

She was perfectly still, poised over the water like the predator she had become over the years. He was silently impressed with her skill after only four years, especially when he had never given her a formal lesson and only passing commentary about her methods. Even now, her hand was slicing through the cold water and expertly plucking out a fish.

"Got one!" she squealed and he raised an eyebrow. She had to work on not scaring the _other_ fish away, apparently.

"Yes, Rin," he murmured anyway.

His ward beamed at him, knowing that this simple recognition of her catch was high praise indeed. "Lord Sesshoumaru, would you like me to catch a fish for you?" she asked. At twelve years old, she had dropped the habit of speaking in third person in imitation of her guardian, but she had not lost her adoration for him. Even now, she bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation of his response.

But he shook his head. "I am not hungry," he said.

Rin only appeared disappointed for a moment. "Alright," she said, as she hooked her finger through the fish's gill and carrying it over to a smooth, flat stone. She drew the little knife that Sesshoumaru had given to her two years ago for just this purpose, and she began to clean the fish. "Jaken-sama, is the fire ready?"

"It's getting there, you stupid girl," the imp muttered, piling the wood on top of the strengthening flame. "Why didn't you wait to catch the fish until you knew it was ready?"

"A dead fish can wait, but a live one will swim away, Jaken-sama," replied Rin in a sing-song voice, wiggling her knife at him.

"I don't see why you even needed to have fish," Jaken groused. "You have plenty of dried venison."

"That is for the winter," Rin said as she dropped the unwanted bits of the fish back into the stream. "Sesshoumaru-sama says that we should always be prepared for a harsh winter. I will not eat the venison when I can still catch fish, Jaken-sama. You're just being grumpy because you can't fish as well as I can!"

Jaken sputtered. "I'll have you know, you stupid girl, that I've fished for longer than…"

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, "be quiet."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken muttered with a bow.

"And be ashamed that a human girl is more proficient than you at such a simple task," he added.

Rin glowed as Jaken flapped about in silent protest. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the girl said.

Sesshoumaru turned his face up towards the sky. It was early yet, but darkness was already settling upon them. He disliked the winter for this reason. The days were too short and the cold made Jaken complain and Rin shiver. Last winter, Rin was so ill that he had not dared to move her for three days and after that, Ah-Un had carried the girl for another week and a half before he was satisfied that the danger had passed.

Humans were such frail creatures. He wondered why he kept company with even one of their number. She undoubtedly slowed him down.

And yet, the pain did not cut him so deeply when she was with him.

He looked again to the sky and only his eyes could discern the tiny pinpricks of light that would turn into blazing stars soon enough. He pushed his hair back behind his ears and turned away from the camp, choosing his path wisely for the least chance of detection.

Rin and Jaken, and even Ah-Un, were watching him leave. He could feel their eyes upon his back. Rin did not bother to wait until he was out of earshot before turning to Jaken. "Where does Sesshoumaru-sama go at night?" she asked.

"None of your business!" snapped the servant. There was a pause and a change of tone. "How should I know?"

Sesshoumaru kept walking, his pace increasing once he was far enough from the campsite. He had not been able to leave the previous night. A demon had been lurking about, trying to challenge the unbeatable taiyoukai, and he could not leave his ward, servant and steed alone. The demon had been quickly dispatched, but such incidents irritated him, making his aura spike with malevolence. It was not safe to go on these journeys when his aura was in such a state of flux.

He followed the stream for several miles, before turning east and into the wind. The stars were now shining brightly in the blanket of black velvet sky, but he took little notice. He had this timed perfectly and he could see easily in the dark, even if there was only a sliver of moon tonight.

It was late, but not late enough so that they were assuredly asleep when he arrived. They were exactly where he expected them to be, even having missed a night. He was fortunate tonight – he could actually see them, instead of merely sensing their presence nearby. They had chosen a place more for convenience sake, rather than tactical advantage. Typical of them. He could see them perfectly from his place on the hill overlooking their camp. He was out of hearing range and certainly couldn't be sniffed out by the half-breed. Still, if he were a true predator, he would have the advantage.

He thought of his quarry as 'them', but even he knew it was much more particular than that. As if he would have any interest in being near to his half-breed brother!

Sesshoumaru shifted uncomfortably from his perch, quite conscious of the fact that he should not have any interest in being near to any of them, especially one so commonplace as the young miko. Even so, it was comforting to see her. She had disappeared for a long time and he was still reveling in her return.

She had her back to him tonight and he ignored the small disappointment that he felt deep within his chest. The important part, he told himself, was that she was simply nearby, so that she could ease the pain.

He took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax his muscles. The pain that racked his body lessened to the point that it was actually bearable. He let out another breath of relief and sat down at the base of the tree, hidden in the shadows in case one of the group decided to look up. Inuyasha's dulled sense of smell could not pick up his scent at this distance when Sesshoumaru stood downwind, but any one of them could see his white clothes against the dark forest.

As he settled into his place, he studied the girl, just as he did every night he was able to do this. Every night he wondered why it was her. Why was she the only one that allowed the pain in his body to release? Why was her presence the only presence that made him feel as if he were not dying? He still had no answers to that, and it frustrated him.

He knew that it had something to do with his memory loss, those lost weeks from three hundred years ago of which he could recall nothing. That was when the constant pain started after all. It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be connected.

When he had dragged himself back to his father's castle, he had been nearly dead from the agony. Toga had had him taken to his room, sequestered from everyone except for himself and the healers, although he now used that word loosely to describe any creature that claimed to be able to help the suffering. The "healers" could only lessen the pain superficially, but they never got to the core of the problem. Toga had thrown three out of his home for suggesting that Sesshoumaru was faking the illness, and he brought in countless others to see his only son. Not just healers, but herbalists, lore-masters, warlocks, witches and he even trekked out to consult the 2,000 year old tree demon, Bokusenon. But neither those that doubted the son of the Great Dog General, nor the ones that sympathized with him could find out what was wrong.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh as he remembered what Toga had said to him when he had finally visited his son's room.

"_Well, Sesshoumaru, you have truly stumped them all on this one," the Lord of the West said as he stepped inside. "Was it too much to ask for you not to nearly kill yourself again?"_

_Sesshoumaru was still weak at that point, in so much pain that it felt like his heart was trying to burst out of his chest but was content to rip apart everything else on his insides first. "I will try to obey such an order in the future, Father," he breathed._

_Toga frowned. "I hope so." He walked up to the foot of the bed and stared down at his son. "I have asked every healer in every corner of the Western territories. I have even sought out those who live with our enemies. No one can tell me what is wrong with you. Pain means there is an injury, an infection, something. But you have nothing, Sesshoumaru."_

"_Do you think I am not telling the truth too, Father?"_

_The older demon scoffed. "If I thought that, I would have you on your feet and training in the dojo this very moment." He sighed. "You have never been one to lie, Sesshoumaru. I do believe you, but I am also mystified."_

"_I regret being a burden to you, Father," said his son._

_Toga raised an eyebrow and sighed. "I cannot help but wonder if all of this has something to do with Kagome," he said._

_Sesshoumaru frowned at him. "Kagome?"_

"_Yes. Kagome. You haven't mentioned her once since your return."_

"_I have no idea who 'Kagome' is, hence I do not mention her," replied his son._

_Toga stared. "The human girl," he said. "You loved her, Sesshoumaru."_

_Even through the pain Sesshoumaru managed to look disbelieving. "When would I ever stoop to love a common human?" he asked._

"_But she was not common…" Toga trailed off and scrutinized his only child. "Do you truly not remember her? I knew that you were having problems with your memory, but to forget Kagome! It's unthinkable."_

_Sesshoumaru winced as a jab of red-hot pain went through his heart. "I would thank you, Father, not to mention this girl again. Who cares about a human wench?"_

"_I do," said the taiyoukai. "And so did you, once. I would think that she was the one to do this to you, except that she would rather die than harm you. She loved you in return, after all. I cannot believe that you've forgotten! What happened to you?"_

_The younger demon frowned. "Obviously, I do not know. I do not remember any human girl. Nor do I care about any human girl."_

_Toga took a deep breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter," he murmured. "She's gone. If you remembered her though, this pain would be nothing. I am almost grateful."_

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes as the memory faded. His father had brought up the human girl once or twice after that, but Sesshoumaru could not even remember her name. It seemed like it just dribbled out of his brain whenever anyone avoided mentioning her for more than two minutes. He could only remember it now when he looked down at Inuyasha's wench. Her name escaped his memory too, but that was not so troublesome. Except for Inuyasha himself, whose name was spiteful to him, he could not recall the names of anyone down in that valley.

All that mattered was that the pain eased in her presence. It was the only thing that helped at all. Even after Sesshoumaru summoned the strength to leave his bed three hundred years ago, the pain followed. He had simply learned to live with it.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, he heard a human woman say once to her children. And he found it to be true, except that the pain was actually killing him.

It was killing him, despite the fact that the pain had actually lessened on its own over the centuries. Not by much, just enough for Sesshoumaru to recognize it.

Meanwhile, his father had given up on him. Toga would barely speak to his son anymore, sick of the lack of answers he received, tired of the silence. Sesshoumaru could not bring himself to care though, and Toga had found one last moment of happiness with Izayoi and the birth of his second, half-breed son, Inuyasha. And then he had died a fool's death, and Sesshoumaru was the Lord of the West.

He had thought he was ready for such a role. In the last years of Toga's life, Sesshoumaru had even idly plotted to become the next Great Dog General by his own devices. He had never seriously challenged his father, but their relationship had been approaching a breaking point. When he died, Sesshoumaru had banished his father's memory in retaliation.

It was fruitless. Eventually, Sesshoumaru had had to return to his father in whatever form he could find, because he had no idea how to run the territories and he had needed help desperately. It was embarrassing to think back on those days, when enemies closed in upon the West and friends fled from his side.

In the end, a path to which was drenched in blood, he managed to establish himself as a worthy successor, though by different means than his father would have employed. His pain became the fountain for unbridled cruelty and he wasted none of it. Demons cowered before him, seeing that he had no fear of death. Who could fear death when they were already dead, after all? Eventually, the enemies slunk off into the shadows and the friends slunk back from them.

After the last great battle, Sesshoumaru shut up his father's mansion and began to wander his countryside. He managed to pick up a couple followers – Jaken and Ah-Un. And then Rin, but she came much later. By that point, he had been wandering for almost two hundred years. None of the other territories stepped into the West. He had made it clear that although he had no formal army any longer, he could defeat them alone.

It was the way it was meant to be anyway. The territories of the East, South and North were crumbling under their own bureaucratic weight. The humans were spreading everywhere, their own wars interfering with the remaining orderliness of the youkai lands. While the humans built up a system based on warlords and territorialism, the demons' system was fading.

So although the territories still technically existed and he knew the other royal families by face and name and rank, they were now like him. They wandered and fought their own battles and met demons that once would have been under their thumbs but now did not know their names. Sesshoumaru was not sure it would ever return to the way it once was, nor was he certain he wanted it to. This life suited him, more than it suited any of the other taiyoukai.

And then came the day when he had met Inuyasha again. Well, he actually sought him out. It had been time to collect his birthright, he had decided, and he had finally discovered where Toga had hidden it. More than building an empire, finding Tetsusaiga had been his goal for several decades at that point.

He had been surprised to find a girl with his brother. He had been even more surprised when the agony in his body had ceased as he drew near to her to take the Fang. It was like a moment of silence after a thunderstorm. He could hardly believe it. And he certainly did not connect the two – the girl and the pain. Not then.

After recovering from Inuyasha's mutilation of his arm, he had gone back. This time he was suspicious and carrying his gift from Naraku – a human arm with a jewel shard. It was the first time he had seen one up close and he hadn't cared for it. It seemed too malevolent and twisted, even for him. But at the same time there was something _familiar_ about it. On a certain level, it comforted him.

The shard was forgotten though, when the pain eased again. It disappeared completely in one moment. That girl had shot him with an arrow. It had actually broken his armor, surprising even him. But then he realized that the pain was gone and his horrible suspicion was confirmed – the girl could take away his agony.

He had thought long about taking the girl after that and keeping her, but he knew that she would resist constantly and Inuyasha would only follow, now with his additional friends. That would have been too tedious, so instead he settled upon this plan instead.

Following around his brother's ragtag team was not something Sesshoumaru relished, but he was willing to do what it took to get rid of the pain, even for a short amount of time. It had even led to some decent leads on Naraku. For all Inuyasha and his friends knew, it was mere coincidence when he showed up at the same time as they did.

He had had to help the girl out once or twice, of course, since his brother was an incompetent nitwit who would surely get her killed on his own. He had told her about Inuyasha and the effects of losing Tetsusaiga, so that she would never let him become a monster again and risk that he hurt her. He saved her from that poison master, Mukotsu, who was trying to force her to marry him. He even resurrected an otter demon with Tenseiga, because she had asked him to.

Sesshoumaru preferred not to think about that last incident. He had realized then that he was not doing a very good job of separating her purpose of making the pain go away from her mere existence. He had restricted their contact after that.

Until that incident several weeks ago, that is.

He was still mystified as to what exactly had pulled him to meet her that night by the well. She was clearly emotional and crying and everything else human. He hated that. And yet, he had felt it was necessary for him to be there that night. Something compelled him to that place at that very time.

He had been so close that he could have touched her, but there was no need, nor desire, for that. Such proximity took the pain away entirely as usual. And he had held back the flinch as she disappeared down the well and the pain returned.

He sighed inwardly. It didn't matter. It would not happen again. This was as close as he would get to her, barely within sight. It was enough.

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Kagome sat next to the fire, trying to shake off the feeling that someone was watching her. Inuyasha would notice if anything dangerous was close, she told herself. Her eyes flickered up to look at the hanyou. He was staring at her too, but she was getting used to that. All of her friends had been scrutinizing her since she had shown up a few days ago in a kimono without her hair and without her memory.

Kikyo was across the fire from her, sitting in the light for once. She had stared at her the most. Kagome wished that she didn't. She was amnesiac, not a caged animal and being stared at by an undead priestess was slightly different, more unnerving for obvious reasons. Did the rules of etiquette apply to walking corpses?

When Kagome had shown up a few days ago, Kikyo had paled beyond her normal icy white complexion. Even Miroku had inquired after her health, which had earned him a baleful stare. But Kagome was probably the only one to notice Kikyo's subtle nervousness. The miko had always been so calm and collected, but her eyes had been flickering about more often, resting upon Kagome with surprising frequency. She acted like a cat held over water and Kagome wondered when she would scratch.

At least Sango and Miroku were trying to act normal. They sat next to each other, discussing where Naraku had gone and what exactly he was planning this time.

"Probably another reincarnation," Miroku said, the weariness in his voice pronounced. He had been getting more and more tired lately. Kagome often caught him rubbing at his cursed palm. "What number are we on?"

"I've lost count," muttered Sango, sounding equally tired. "Ten? Twelve?"

"Something like that," Kagome said. All of their eyes moved to her for a moment, as they did every time that she proved that she hadn't completely lost her memory. She stuck her hands in her sleeves and tried not to glower. "I'm only missing a few weeks," she reminded them. "Not everything from the last four years."

Sango smiled. "Of course, Kagome. We know that. We just keep hoping…" She trailed off and shrugged.

Kagome nodded. "I know. I want to remember too."

"Maybe we should leave Naraku to the side for a time and concentrate more on recovering Kagome's memories," Miroku said.

"The doctor in my time said they'd come back on their own," Kagome said with a shrug. Her mother had insisted upon the visit to the hospital once her daughter couldn't explain where she had been. She had only allowed her back to the Feudal Era once the doctor confirmed that she didn't have any head injuries. They suspected some sort of psychological trauma, but Kagome had firmly put that idea to bed. She felt fine! Except she had amnesia. But she had convinced her mother to send her to a therapist only once they had figured out if there was indeed psychological trauma, which meant waiting until the memories returned. And if they never came back, so what? It was only a few weeks missing.

That was what she told her mother and her friends at least. In truth, Kagome had suffered constantly for the past few days. Pain reverberated through her body soon after she had emerged from the well and it had not abated yet. Popping painkillers didn't do a thing either. Luckily, it seemed to ease at night, so she was able to sleep. Even now, she could feel her muscles relaxing after being tensed in agony all day. One saving grace remained then. She wondered if it could be night forever.

"Still, Kagome," said Sango, "we know that there might be more to this than what the healers told you. You've told us that no one believes in spells or curses in your time."

"Well, that's not entirely true. They just like to depend on science," Kagome replied.

The demon slayer shook her head. "Someone here will be able to explain your memory loss. I'm sure of it. We just need to search a bit."

They all looked towards Inuyasha, who huffed. "We find the shards. Kagome's memory will come back."

Sango scowled at him for a moment. "What if a piece of her missing memory will tell us how to kill Naraku? Or where to find all the shards?"

"Or even one shard?" piped up Shippo, who everyone had thought was asleep. He turned his green eyes towards the irritated hanyou. "Kagome needs her memory back!"

Inuyasha glanced at the girl. "It's okay, Inuyasha," she murmured. "We'll do what you want."

His jaw clenched. "Fine," he muttered through his teeth. "We'll talk to some people. Who exactly did you plan on asking, monk?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "I have a few names in mind, but Lady Kikyo would surely know more."

Kikyo turned to the monk. "I know of no one that can help her," she murmured.

The monk narrowed his eyes. "I see," he replied. "Well then, if you don't know anyone at all, I think that we should ask Jinenji."

Kagome smiled. It had been a long time since she had seen her friend. "He'll know something," she said. "Or have something to bring my memory back."

"I don't know if Jinenji's herbs can heal magical curses," Sango said thoughtfully. "We should visit him, of course, but is there anyone else, Miroku? Jinenji's farm is pretty far from here."

"Hm, true," Miroku replied. "Perhaps on the way we can see Mushin. He might know. Or Myoga might. And ah… well, there's always Jaken."

"That little twerp that runs after Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked with a look of disgust. "How in the hell would he help Kagome? Why would he even want to?"

Miroku shrugged. "Well he might not want to, but he is quite knowledgeable about magical curses, or so I've heard. He's not my favorite person either, Inuyasha, but if he can help, maybe we should try to _convince_ him."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "No way. We haven't seen my brother for months and that's the way I like it."

"Inuyasha," Kagome began, brightening, "you never said you had a brother! I can't believe you kept that from me!"

There was a pause as they all turned to stare at her again. "Stop joking around, Kagome," muttered Inuyasha at last. "That's not funny. We're helping you, okay?"

Kagome blinked. "I know. I just wanted to know about your brother. What's wrong with that? What's he like?"

"My brother's a jackass! You know that! I don't want to talk about him!"

The young miko looked towards Sango, Miroku and Shippo. "Have you guys met him?"

"We all have, Kagome," said Shippo. "He tried to kill you lots of times!"

"Don't you remember, Kagome?" Sango asked softly.

Kagome scoffed with a smile. "No, why would I? Did you guys meet him while I was gone?" She looked at each of them and her smile faltered. "You… didn't meet him in the last few weeks, you mean?"

They all shook their heads. "You met him four years ago," Miroku said. "You met him before you met any of us, except Inuyasha."

"Why don't you remember?" demanded the hanyou.

The girl shrugged as she stared into the fire. "I don't know."

Inuyasha frowned. "What happened when we went to get Tetsusaiga, Kagome?"

The young miko bit her lip. "I don't know. I remember that you wanted the sword and so… well, I don't remember how we got there, but I pulled the sword out of the stone. I remember thinking that I was just like King Arthur," she said beginning to smile again, but no one smiled back. "Um, and after that, we had to leave. Something was wrong. I don't really remember."

"Do you remember the panther tribe?" asked Sango.

"Yeah. Inuyasha beat them after they kidnapped me," Kagome said.

"What about when Inuyasha became a full-fledged demon?" Miroku asked quietly. "How did he change back that first time?"

Kagome shrugged. "He was hurt, I think." She shifted uncomfortably under their stares. "Are you saying that… what's his name again?"

"Sesshoumaru," they said in chorus.

"Sesshoumaru was there every time?" she asked, her voice weak.

Inuyasha was almost bright red with rage. "We're finding that bastard tomorrow," he snarled towards the others. "I should have known he had something to do with this!"

"There's no proof of that, Inuyasha," said the monk. "It doesn't seem like something your brother would do. What if Sesshoumaru isn't the only thing she's forgotten? And what good would it do to Sesshoumaru for Kagome to have forgotten him? I think he prefers to be remembered."

"No, it's that bastard," the hanyou said. "I'm going to kill him!"

"But he's your brother!" Kagome said.

Sango let out a soft sigh and moved Kirara out of her lap so that she could move to sit by Kagome. "I think we'll have to tell you the whole story. If any of us say anything that isn't familiar to you, tell us, okay?" Kagome nodded and Sango smiled humorlessly. "Alright, get ready for a long tale."

It was well past midnight before they finished and confirmed that Kagome only had a blank spot in her memory to do with Sesshoumaru. She even forgot his name three times over the course of Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha telling her their own history. It wasn't that she had forgotten him entirely. When pushed, Kagome could remember someone else being there, fighting with them or against them. But she couldn't recall his face or his insults or anything else. He was a shadow figure in the edges of her memory.

"I wonder if it's the same for him?" Miroku asked. He had not let go of the theory that Sesshoumaru was similarly suffering.

"Keh. Sesshoumaru only took notice of Kagome once, when she was the one to pull Tetsusaiga from the stone instead of him." A wry smile touched Inuyasha's face. "I've never seen the bastard more surprised in my life. Well, maybe when I chopped off his leg a little later," he said, grinning.

"Inuyasha! You cut off your brother's leg?" Kagome asked in horror.

They all sighed. "We just told you that a few hours ago, Kagome," Inuyasha said with a frown. "And besides, it was his arm, not his leg. The jerk can still walk. Although it's not a bad idea, now that you…"

"_Not_ the time for that, Inuyasha," Sango warned, her eyes narrowing. "If we go to find Sesshoumaru tomorrow, you can't immediately start a fight."

Inuyasha scowled. "Whatever."

Miroku looked up at the hanyou. "If Kagome cannot remember Sesshoumaru and she cannot remember several weeks of her past," he said, "is it possible that she was with Sesshoumaru while she was gone?"

"How?" Inuyasha said. "She was home. She never came back through the well."

The monk sighed. "I suppose. But her mother had not seen her for weeks either, isn't that what you said, Kagome?"

The miko nodded. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't here or at home all that time."

"So," the monk continued, "there are two places you could have been. Since Inuyasha would have known if you had come through the well during that time, you couldn't have been here and us not know it. But you could have escaped your family's notice and been in your time. Or… or you could have been somewhere completely different."

"That's a lot of help," Inuyasha groused.

Miroku shrugged. "It's still possible that she could have been with Sesshoumaru."

"Except that she would be dead," Inuyasha pointed out. "Sesshoumaru hates humans!"

"He travels with one," countered the monk.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away. "Keh, we'll know as soon as we find the bastard. He'll tell us."

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"Oh, there he is! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The taiyoukai turned to see his ward running towards him, a package in one hand and the other pulling up the hem of her kimono, so that she wouldn't step on it. It was still new, bought for the colder months out of the year. She had finally torn the orange and white one beyond even Jaken's capability of repair. Said servant was lagging far behind Rin, panting as he jogged along with the Staff of Heads.

Rin caught up, her cheeks glowing red from the cold. "I bought a new blanket, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, opening the corner of the package and showing him a thick blanket that could actually cover her growing frame.

He nodded at her purchase, pleased that she had chosen something warm and simple, rather than the girlish things most children her age would want.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" squawked Jaken, catching up and out of breath. "Lord Sesshoumaru, the villagers…" He doubled over and took a few deep breaths as Rin patted him on the back. "The villagers were talking about Inuyasha and his worthless friends, my lord."

The taiyoukai inwardly frowned. He did not like being so close to them that they frequented the same village markets. "What of it?"

"They said that Inuyasha was looking for you, my lord. He was asking everyone if they had seen a… um, you," he finished lamely.

Sesshoumaru arched a delicate eyebrow, knowing exactly what description his brother was giving to the villagers. "When?"

"This morning," Jaken replied, glancing up at the sun. It was only early afternoon. They hadn't missed them by much.

The taiyoukai stepped away from Ah-Un, whose musky animal smell often masked old scents. He resisted the urge to sigh when he almost immediately picked out his brother's scent. He turned and began to walk, taking a path that would cut across the gap he kept between himself and his brother on their parallel travels.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken called, quickly following. "Are we really going to see your brother?"

The dog demon shot him a dismissive glance. "If we do not seek him out, he will not stop looking for me," he said. His one remaining hand slid over Tokijin's hilt. "I wish to finish it."

Rin and Jaken exchanged a look. "Do we have to stay here?" the girl asked.

"No."

She let out a soft breath of relief. If Sesshoumaru allowed her to come, that meant there would be no fighting. Nothing that he would start, anyway. She knew that Inuyasha could be rash and attack, but she wanted to see Shippo and Kagome. It had been years, but she remembered everything they had done for her and she missed them. If her lord didn't hate Inuyasha and anyone associated with him, she would have asked to see them a long time ago.

They walked quickly, so quickly that Rin and Jaken had to get on Ah-Un's back or be left behind. The short winter days meant that there was not a lot of sunlight left and if Sesshoumaru did have to fight his brother, he wanted to do it while the sun was still up.

The advantage of having a dragon around to carry around your servant and your ward was, of course, that you moved much faster than a bunch of humans on foot and so it was not long before Sesshoumaru could feel the pain easing away and smell their scents on the wind. Soon, he could hear Inuyasha warning the others that he was arriving.

Sesshoumaru stepped out of the shadow of the trees with Ah-Un following close behind. Rin waved and grinned as Shippo waved back.

Inuyasha crossed his arms from where he stood beside the undead priestess that smelled of the grave. "I can't believe you came," he muttered.

"I do not run from a fight," Sesshoumaru said, arching an eyebrow.

"You saying that I do?" Inuyasha growled.

Miroku swept in, placing a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm sure that's not what he meant, Inuyasha," lied the monk. "Perhaps we should just tell him why we were looking for him."

The hanyou folded his arms and glared at the taiyoukai. "Fine," he gritted out. "Oy, you bastard! What did you do to Kagome?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes slid over the humans, but even as he looked at them, the name that Inuyasha had just spoken slipped out of his mind. "Why would I care to do anything to your human women?" he asked.

"I… I don't know!" Inuyasha spat. "But you did something to Kagome! And you better reverse it!"

Miroku and Sango rolled their eyes at each other. "My lord, we have sort of a problem that seems to involve you. You see, she," the monk said, pointing at the young miko, "disappeared for awhile. She returned with no memory of the time she was gone. In addition, she seems to have forgotten every encounter you have had with her. We thought that you might know what happened, since you seem to be the only one she has forgotten."

"Aside from the time she was missing," Sesshoumaru said, intrigued despite himself.

Miroku looked pleased that he got _any_ answer. "Yes, my lord. Exactly."

The taiyoukai took a breath, studying the girl. She seemed physically fine, although she had a sort of distant look in her eyes that he was not accustomed to seeing in those that he inspected. "I do not know what is wrong with the girl," he said. "Although an interesting plot, it has nothing to do with me."

"Then," broke in Sango quickly, before he could turn away, "could Jaken take a look at her? He's said to know a lot about curses."

Sesshoumaru paused before nodding minutely, allowing the imp to stroll forward with his chest puffed out. "What makes you think it's a curse, human?" he asked.

"She ain't physically hurt, you idiot," Inuyasha bit out. "Has to be a curse."

Jaken turned his nose up and looked away. "I won't be insulted by a half-breed like you! It's my prerogative whether I look to the girl's problem and…"

"Jaken," interrupted Sesshoumaru, causing the imp to cower, "figure out what is wrong with her."

"Yes, my lord," he said with a sigh and a bow. He hurried across the grass towards Kagome. "Alright, girl, get down here. Let me see your eyes. That's where you can see a curse, you know."

Kagome blinked and looked down. "Oh, hi. Sorry about that. I didn't see you."

Jaken frowned. "I just came from over there, girl!"

Her eyes flickered up, looking towards the line of trees and straight through Sesshoumaru. "Sorry," she said, laughing. "Sometimes my head gets into the clouds and I don't notice what's right in front of me!"

The imp shoved his hands into his sleeves. "You have that right," he muttered. He turned to look at the taiyoukai. "A simple diagnosis. She has a mystical block against you, my lord. You've been banished from her mind, her memories, even her sight."

"Hm." The dog demon turned and began to head back towards the trees.

Inuyasha stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute! Just because you don't think it's a problem, it is a problem for us! I can't have a priestess with a blind spot, especially where you're concerned, you bastard!"

"Just let him go, Inuyasha," said Kikyo, speaking for the first time. "Lord Sesshoumaru has done enough."

Kagome turned to look first at the elder priestess and then at the figure in white that had suddenly, briefly flickered in her vision.

"Sesshoumaru?"

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A/N: Ah, another cliffhanger. I apologize, but trust me when I say that you would REALLY hate me if I stopped at any point in the next chapter. It's moving quickly, so you won't have to wait long anyway.


	22. Fracture

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 22: Fracture

She had only whispered his name, but it was enough. Kagome took in a quick breath as the memories flooded back in a jumble of images both terrifying and fantastic.

Across the clearing, Sesshoumaru's form sharpened and came into focus. He was leaning against Ah-Un's flank, his single hand raised to his forehead and his back to them. Jaken and Rin were fluttering around him, begging him to speak.

Before she could catch her breath, Sango was at her side. "Kagome? Are you alright?"

Kagome took a moment before she looked up at her friends. The fog was lifting. "Yeah, I am. Finally."

"What just happened?" Sango asked.

Kagome smiled and looked at Kikyo. "You reminded me. I didn't know – I didn't remember – what I was supposed to do, but then you said his name! Thank you. I…" She trailed off and the smile dropped away. "Wait a minute…"

"Kagome?"

They all turned at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. He was standing straight again, gazing at the girl. She stepped forward, breaking away from Sango and forgetting about Kikyo. "Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha looked between them as they stared at one another. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded. "What just happened, Kagome? Kagome?"

The taiyoukai's face twisted. "Kagome… No, it could not be you!" he hissed.

Kagome swallowed. "Yes, it was," she replied, her voice hard. "You know it was me."

"You what? When was it you?" Inuyasha interjected.

Kagome looked over to her friends, each one staring back with confusion and concern, expressions she had seen often over the past days. "It was a long time ago," she murmured.

"So long ago that it is impossible. You are just a human," Sesshoumaru growled.

"The well lets me travel through time," she murmured, her eyes moving back to him. "I normally travel between this time and my time, five hundred years in the future. Something went wrong and I went back farther than I should have. I met you, three hundred years ago. Then I came back. I had to."

He could only look at her. It was true that she had frequently disappeared over the last four years and he had seen her hovering about the well, but he had only seen her jump into it once, a few weeks prior. But she was the mirror image of the girl he remembered, the one that he had traveled with so long ago and who he had just recalled for the first time. But still, he refused to believe the obnoxious female that followed his brother could be the same as his Kagome. He shook his head. "No," he said simply, turning away.

She was ready for his disbelief. She dropped her bag to the ground with a heavy thud and dove into it. "Wait," she said, before he could escape to the trees. "I can prove it to you."

He looked back over his shoulder for curiosity's sake only as she pulled out a small bundle of silk from a suddenly familiar yellow bag. Kagome folded the fabric back quickly and deftly, pulling something golden and shining from it.

She held the golden comb aloft and watched his eyes widen. "I know you saw me wearing it," she said. "The wolves died that night and you were angry with me, but I saw you looking at me. Your father gave it to me. It was your mother's, wasn't it?"

The taiyoukai stepped back towards the miko, his eyes on the comb. "How did you get that?" he growled.

"I just told you. Toga gave it to me," Kagome said, trying to keep steady on her feet. "He would know me, if he were here. And so should you!"

Inuyasha blinked. "Wait. You… you met my father? Kagome, you met him? H-how?"

Sesshoumaru shifted his dangerous golden eyes to his brother. "Be quiet, half-breed. Jaken," he added, fixing his gaze back on the miko, "look after Rin and remain here. I will be back shortly."

He strode forward and took Kagome's wrist, pulling her away from her friends. "Where do you think you're going?" yelled Inuyasha. "Bring her back!" There was a sound of sliding metal as the Tetsusaiga was drawn and the whispers of a monk trying to calm him down.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha," Kagome said, turning to glance back at the livid, but stationary hanyou. "He won't hurt me."

"I would not promise that," Sesshoumaru said, his grip tightening.

"I know," she murmured. "But I had to say something. Can you loosen up a bit? Even if I ran, you'd catch me in a second."

"Less," he replied, but he let her go entirely, leaving her to rub at her wrist.

She followed him in silence for several minutes, before the stony expression on Sesshoumaru's face began to unnerve her. "So where are we going? Somewhere that they won't find the body?" she quipped with a shaky smile as she tucked the still-present gold comb into her obi.

He ignored the weak joke. "Out of range of my worthless brother's senses," he said. "Unless you would prefer an audience?"

She bit her lip and looked away. "I'm pretty sure that whatever way this ends up, I can say that I don't want them to be around."

The taiyoukai cast her a cool glance and made a soft, non-committal noise in his throat as he led them into the forest that edged the road. Their feet crunched on the dry leaves and Kagome shivered as the trees blocked out the sun. His furs were immediately shoved under her nose. "I do not want you to die of cold before I have a chance to interrogate you," he muttered.

Kagome took the pelt and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thanks. So I'm guessing that there's going to be yelling involved?"

He turned to face her. "When have I ever raised my voice to you?" he asked.

"When you've been angry at me," she countered.

The taiyoukai paused. "I was younger then. More rash than I am now."

She sighed and leaned against a nearby tree as she studied him. "You haven't changed_that_ much," she said. "I think I prefer it when have your hair braided though."

He arched an eyebrow. "I will keep it in mind," he said, not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.

They looked at one another, uncomfortable but unwilling to give way. Finally, Kagome let her eyes drop to the ground. "Why did I forget you?" she asked softly. "I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to remember and come after you, make you remember again."

"A potion made for a demon is not meant to be tasted by a mere human," he replied. "I am surprised you did not die. Or… grow horns or something of the kind." He frowned at his own words. Was he actually babbling? The kami help him.

Her eyebrow arched. "But I didn't taste it," Kagome argued.

Sesshoumaru gave her a pointed look but said nothing.

"Oh." She licked her lips. "You mean when we… um, when we kissed?"

"Yes, when _you_ kissed _me_," he said sneering.

"Hey, I seem to remember you kissing back," she countered.

"Yes, right after you_drugged_ me."

She crossed her arms. "Oh, right. And what's your excuse for the hot spring? I seem to remember you starting some kissing there."

He glowered. "That is beside the point," he began.

"I'm sure that's what you tell yourself," she scoffed. They glared at one another until Kagome once again turned away.

"You have no right to be angry with me," she murmured. "I had to save all of Time. The world would have broken apart because you were not meant to know me three hundred years ago. I didn't belong there."

"Why did you not tell me all of this?" the taiyoukai asked. He reached forward and took her by the arm, forcing her to look back at him. "Why did you lie?"

She smiled humorlessly. "What would you have said, Sesshoumaru? Would it have been any easier for you? I _had_ to leave. What if I actually told you that you had to wait for three hundred years to speak to me about anything that happened there?" She fixed him with a steady stare. "What would you have done if you could remember me when I first showed up, fifteen years old and stealing Tetsusaiga out from under you? Would you have tried to kill me like I remember it? You had to forget. That includes some amount of deception, no matter how it actually could have happened."

"You did not even consult me."

She pursed her lips for a moment. "That kind of defeats the entire point, Sesshoumaru." She looked to where his fingers were still wrapped around her wrist. "I thought you would understand, once you knew my reasons for leaving and for making you forget."

He released her and stepped back, shaking his head. "Three hundred years is more than I can forgive," he said.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I don't see why I need your forgiveness," she said. "I did nothing wrong!"

"Self-assured little wench," he growled in return. "What do you know? You cast your spell and left. You know nothing of my pain for these centuries."

"What pain?" she snapped, spreading her arms. "You weren't supposed to remember a thing! And considering that you refused to believe that it was actually me, I'm pretty sure that part worked out. Please tell me what I did to injure the great Sesshoumaru that the destruction of Time and the world would have been the better choice!"

"I do not have to answer to you." He saw the rebellion in her gaze. Could the girl possibly have lost all respect for him and his station? He took one threatening step towards the miko, but she did not waver. "You should be frightened."

"I'm not," she replied with a scowl. "You would never hurt me. You promised, after all. And you're stalling. Like you _always_ do when we fight."

Sesshoumaru frowned at the jab, but he knew what she was referring to and he did not correct her. Not yet anyway. Soon she would realize how much different he was now than he had been. There would be no begging for forgiveness here. She would remember he was a taiyoukai.

Kagome softened as he stood in silence, and she stepped close enough to touch, although her hands remained firmly at her sides. "Did something go wrong, Sesshoumaru? I wanted it to go smoothly. I wanted to come back and remind you and…" She trailed off and sighed, turning her large brown eyes up to look at him. "I never wanted you to suffer."

The gentleness in her voice almost defeated him, but he steeled his nerves. "I take you as my own mate. I would have no other," he said. "What do you think that means?"

Her heart leapt into her throat. "They were some of the last words you said to me back then, before I left, so they mean a lot to me."

"You said them in return."

She nodded. "Of course I did." She swallowed thickly. "I meant it too."

He studied her for a moment and turned away. "That is beside the point," he said, trying to ignore the way she took in a shaky breath. "Those were not words of simple affection, Kagome. They are the first words to a ceremony that binds two souls."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't follow. Sorry," she muttered.

"I told you the story of the taiyoukai," he said. "The very first of us."

Despite herself, her spirits lifted as she remembered that afternoon. "When it was raining and we took shelter in that cave. It was a beautiful story," she said. "I never did tell you that the witch said she was one of those humans, did I? She was one of the women that a taiyoukai took as a mate and she's lived all this time. I wonder if she's still alive here and now."

"If her taiyoukai mate is alive, she is alive," he said. "Similar to the two of us."

Her brow creased with confusion. "How are Lady Hoshiko and her mate anything like us?"

He sniffed at her ignorance. "You humans," he muttered. "You never really consider the future, do you?"

She frowned at his irritation. "I'm pretty sure that the future was _exactly_ what I was considering!" she snapped. "Now, tell me what you're trying to say without being a stubborn, enigmatic jackass or I'm going back to my friends."

Sesshoumaru glowered. "There is more to the story than I told you that day," he began, speaking through a clenched jaw. "It is said that when the first taiyoukai took their human mates, they knew that if they did not do something, they would lose their mortal mates to death. So they asked for one last boon from the gods that had created them, in payment for ridding the new world of the abominations."

"Immortality for their human mates," Kagome ventured.

He nodded. "It was a complex, divine spell affixed to simple words. Easily remembered, easily passed on to later generations." He closed his eyes briefly. "Perhaps too easily."

"So just those few words did what? Made me immortal?" she asked with a frown. "I don't want to be immortal, living on while everyone else dies around me."

The taiyoukai shook his head. "It is not true immortality. Those few, powerful words bound our souls together." He paused, seeming to struggle for words for a moment as Kagome stared. Sesshoumaru was nothing but eloquent and yet this was the second time he had grasped at what he was trying to say. "It also requires immense…"

Kagome tried not to push, but she could not help the word that escaped her lips. "Love?"

"If one of us dies, the other dies!" he snapped immediately. His eyes narrowed as he took a breath. "But never in all the eons since the time of the first taiyoukai, has one of the mates left in the middle of the ceremony for any other reason than death."

She grimaced. "Wait, you mean people have been killed in the middle of this ceremony?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Can you think of a more vulnerable moment in a demon's life? When he is taking a female as his mate? And if the female is the weaker one, the enemy need merely to cut off her head and the male will die with her."

Kagome put her hands around her own throat and bit her lip. "But I'm not dead and you're not either. So… I don't understand."

"No one has ever just left," he reiterated harshly. "No one. They complete it or something goes wrong and both die. They are dead or they are alive. But you were neither. You were not in my world and you were not in the underworld."

The miko's eyes widened. "I wasn't born yet," she murmured. "I didn't exist."

"And yet you did, in the future," he replied. "It was just enough to keep me alive, I suppose, but not without suffering on my part. I could not die because you had not died. You have to be born before you die, after all. I… Why are you crying?" His passionate anger abated in an instant as he watched large, shimmering tears roll down the girl's face.

"Have you been living in pain, all this time? Because of me?" she sobbed.

His sighed inwardly. "Not at the moment," he said, but he saw that she would not believe him. He tried again, admitting what he had not wanted to say. "I am not in pain when I am close to you."

To his surprise, her expression was one of horror. "You're still in pain?" she asked, her voice rising. "But I was here and I was alive! How could you have been in pain for these last four years?"

He had to concede to his lack of knowledge. "I do not know," he replied. "Perhaps it has something to do with that well. Are you truly from five hundred years in the future?"

Kagome nodded, still crying but at least being silent about it.

"Then perhaps you are not truly alive here either," he said.

"But the witch told me it was my Fate to be here," she replied softly. "Believe me, I'm here. If I weren't, you'd be in pain right now, right?"

"Probably," he said. "This has never happened before."

She nodded. "Sesshoumaru, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Her voice was thick from the tears. "I never would have…"

"It's fine," he interrupted briskly.

Kagome shifted her weight and tried to surreptitiously wipe away the tears. "So what do we do?"

He hesitated and she grew nervous, her hands twisting together and the tears reappearing. "It was early enough," he began, "that you can revoke my suit."

"What? You mean,_reject_ you?"

For a split second, she imagined that there was hurt in his eyes. "Yes."

"But I don't want to," she whispered. "I lo-."

"I have been in pain for three centuries," he interrupted again, turning slightly to prevent himself from reaching out to touch her for her half-admission. "Revoke the ceremony and it will cease."

Kagome straightened her spine. "In theory," she argued. "Why can't we complete it instead?"

"You said you had no wish to be immortal."

"Not alone," the miko said. She colored. "But I'd have you. I could do that."

He frowned at her for an interminable moment. He was wise enough to realize that he was about to decide upon his path, perhaps for the rest of his life. The human girl before him was offering him a road upon which he had never imagined he could travel. It was understandable that the taiyoukai would hesitate over such a choice.

"You do not understand," he said finally.

"Oh?" she challenged, her eyes sparking. "Then please help the little human girl to understand! I insist!"

"The irritation you feel is unnecessary. This is simply an overreaction to what you perceive as my rejection of you," he said.

She glared. "Oh, stuff it," she snapped. "Don't assume you know anything about my perceptions. Just a few days ago, you…"

"That is precisely the problem," he broke in. "It was a few days ago for _you_, Kagome. Not for me. For me, it was centuries."

"But you remember," Kagome said, her voice suddenly faltering.

He told himself to focus on that one moment of weakness. He told himself to have no mercy. He wondered when being merciless had become so difficult. "Yes," he agreed with a sneer. "I do remember now. I remember what happened three hundred years ago with more clarity than I remember what I had for my last meal. And I remember what I felt the day you left and disappeared down the well. But I also remember what I felt as soon as I woke up. Nothing."

Her lower lip began to quiver. "It was just suppressed, just for awhile."

"And now it is fresh again," he said. "I have a boy's memories and feelings inside me. But they are not my memories. They are not my feelings, although I cannot stop them from coming to the surface. But the boy that felt these things for you, Kagome, is dead. I am all that's left and you know that I would never feel these things for you, if not for that damnable spell."

She was crying in earnest now. "But I knew what you would become and I still… I still felt that way about you."

"And I did not know what I would become," he replied, trying to keep his gaze steady. Her tears would be his undoing if she did not stop, no matter his strength. "I do not know if I would have retained such feelings for you if you had let them remain."

"But you do feel that way," she insisted.

"I feel what he felt," he said with a frown. "You will recover once you realize that I am not that pup any longer," he added.

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen," she murmured between sobs.

"It is not how you_wanted_ it to happen," he corrected. "But you _will_ revoke the ceremony."

"How can you be such a bastard about this?" she snapped. Her eyes moved back to him, but he doubted she could see him, the tears were falling so thickly.

"Because I am not him any longer," he said. "I feel nothing for you."

Kagome was weakening and she sagged against a tree, her head rolling back against the bark. "But he did," she murmured. "He felt that way about me… no matter how much you might hate him for it."

Sesshoumaru looked away. Her helplessness was little better than her sadness. "Yes, he did. But I…"

"Just be _quiet_," she whispered harshly, her eyes sliding shut. "Just let me think about him and remember him. Just let me forget _you_ for just a minute!"

He waited as long as he could, but it quickly became unbearable. He was disturbed by the emotions that welled up within him at the vision of her with her eyes closed and her throat exposed. Even in this moment, when she probably hated him, he wanted her. It was dangerous to be near her for any longer. "I will give you a week," he said. "Revoke me when I return, or I will kill you."

Her gaze was utterly unperturbed as she opened her clear eyes and nodded. "A week then," she murmured. "But stay close."

He arched an eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

"So you aren't in pain while you wait," she explained, slipping his pelt from her shoulders and offering them back to the youkai.

Sesshoumaru looked at the furs she held. How many times had he wrapped her in it? How many times had he taken it back and smelled her scent clinging to every hair? And he could never again forget the horror of it being soaked in her blood. He could almost smell it again, now that he remembered.

"I do not want it," he said finally, turning away.

Kagome clutched at the furs and watched him until the white of his haori disappeared – the same patterned one she had given him three centuries ago, she realized with a jolt. She would have cried if her eyes had not already run dry. Sinking to the forest floor, she could only cover her face with her hands.

It was how her friends found her a long while later. Inuyasha appeared first, demanding to know what was the matter with her, his voice hitching with distant concern. But it wasn't until Sango caught up that anyone went to the still and silent girl.

"Kagome?" the taijiya murmured. She mentally noted the pelt that was pooled in Kagome's lap, the one that Sesshoumaru had been lacking when he had returned alone to retrieve his traveling companions. His solo reappearance had sent Inuyasha into a fit and it had taken entirely too long to drag the hanyou away and convince him to search for Kagome. Sango worried that they had arrived too late.

The girl lifted her head slowly, her face dry and her eyes glittering with a ferocity that Sango had never seen before. The taijiya silently cursed Sesshoumaru because they were indeed too late. Kagome had closed up.

Still, she tried. "Kagome, come back with us. We'll set up camp as soon as we get out of the forest, alright? But it's getting dark and we shouldn't stay here," Sango said gently.

Shippo crept up to his adoptive mother's side. "Kagome? Please get up."

Kagome made no effort to move and Inuyasha stalked up to her. "Come on, you stupid…"

He stopped dead as Kagome's eyes flashed towards him. She was suddenly standing, so close that he could feel the angry heat coming from her body. "Don't you dare call me stupid," she growled. "Don't you dare!"

Inuyasha swallowed and almost took a step back. But this was Kagome! He was not afraid of her, he told himself. He took a small steadying breath. "Well, you were acting so weird! Just come with us and get out of this forest and then you can explain what the hell is going on!"

Her eyes narrowed and shifted to look over his shoulder. He knew exactly who she was looking at. "No," she bit out. "I'm not going anywhere with her. Not ever again."

Inuyasha stepped away so that he could look between the two priestesses. "What's your problem with Kikyo now?" he said, allowing a bit more irritation come through his tone now that he was not standing nose to nose with her.

But Kagome wasn't paying attention to him anymore. "Four years, Kikyo," she said, her voice low and harsh. "For _four years_ I tried to be your friend, or at the very least, to understand you. I knew I could never compete with you after all. I figured that out very early and then it became easier. For a time, I actually thought you were coming to understand me too. I saved your life once. I watched Inuyasha run off to save your life a dozen more times than that."

"I do not owe you anything," Kikyo said, her dark eyes fixed upon Kagome and unblinking.

"You owe me courtesy," Kagome snapped. "And at the very least, you owe me the grace of not interfering with my Fate, with my ability to see my friends and family and to move freely between this time and mine."

The world held its breath for a moment. "You did it?" Sango said at last, turning to look at the undead priestess. "You're the one that closed the well?"

Kikyo barely gave the taijiya a glance. "You seemed quite adamant about staying away," she told Kagome with a haughty little shrug. "I did not see how it would hurt anything."

"It hurt Kagome!" Shippo cried out. "It hurt us!"

The undead priestess's implacable expression told them all how much she cared about that. "You are not needed here. You only endanger the rest of us."

"And you nearly destroyed Time and Fate! The entire world, just for the sake of your misplaced jealousy!" Kagome hissed.

Even Kikyo was taken aback at that. Sango frowned. "What do you mean, Kagome?"

The priestess's eyes were glittering, although in the fading light, it was difficult to see if she held tears in her eyes. Inuyasha knew, but he could only stare in silence at the two bickering miko. "I'm supposed to be here," Kagome said quietly. "You interfered with Fate by trying to shut me out. Time fractured as I was sent back farther than I should have gone – three hundred years farther into the past. I wasn't meant to be there though, and everything went terribly wrong. Because of you!"

Kikyo lifted her chin. "Well, I certainly did not do it intentionally."

"I'm not so sure of that anymore," Kagome growled. "But intention has little to do with it. The greatest priestess this world has ever seen was almost a traitorous coward. Sesshoumaru had to lose his memories to fix your mistake! I _died_ in a time and place that I was never meant to see!"

"You died?" Sango repeated, her breath catching.

Kagome nodded. "A demon that was banished from this world millennia ago broke free through the cracks in Time. It was at his request that I was killed." Her eyes briefly moved towards the hanyou. "I was resurrected with Tenseiga."

"I refuse to take responsibility for such things," the priestess replied coldly, as Sango fell back in shocked silence. "You are alive. And it is not my fault Sesshoumaru had such little presence of mind to fall in love with you. It quite diminishes my opinion of him."

Inuyasha came out of his silence. "In love? My brother doesn't fall in love with anyone, especially a human!" He turned to the younger woman, disgust lining his face. "Is that what you were talking about?"

As Kagome struggled for words, Kikyo let out a soft, scornful laugh. "Of course it was." She moved closer, her eyes shining with triumph. "Do you know what happens to most miko when they take a lover? They lose their powers. And tell me, Inuyasha, have you seen this child use her powers since she returned?"

The hanyou's breathing became slightly labored. "No, but we haven't fought anyone. She hasn't had a reason to use them. How do you know?"

"I share a soul with her," Kikyo said, her nose wrinkling. "I could always sense her power. And now, it's gone. Snuffed out, like a candle. She's just another human girl."

Kagome was staring at her hands. She remembered the last time she had used her powers, when she had entered the bubble of black smoke around the well. The purification light had flickered and died at her fingertips, but at the time, she had assumed it was only the smoke interfering.

She tried again now and nothing happened. She did not even feel the surge of power flowing through her veins, as she normally did.

The girl looked up at the silent hanyou. "It's not like that, Inuyasha. I never… not with anyone."

"Then why can't you purify anything?" Inuyasha asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she answered helplessly.

"She forgot so much, Inuyasha," Kikyo whispered. "It's possible that she has just not remembered this _incident_ yet."

The younger miko fixed her elder with an icy stare. "You venomous bitch. You know it's not that! You're just distracting us. You're trying to make us forget that it was you that nearly destroyed the world!"

"At least that was repaired. You, on the other hand, have made yourself useless to us," Kikyo replied. "Why don't you go home?"

"I will not back down from you again!" Kagome answered.

"Why not?" sneered the elder woman. "There's nothing for you here. You'll just get yourself killed. And obviously, not even Sesshoumaru will come to save you now. He has rejected you, now that he's gotten what he wanted."

Kagome's eyes widened and she walked the few steps to meet Kikyo before she knew what she was doing. She barely registered her own movements. She only felt the sting in her palm and saw the undead woman's face turn with a slight look of surprise. "Try to distract me from your guilt, Kikyo, but I will not forget what you did! If I catch you meddling in Time and Fate again," Kagome seethed, "I will kill you. For all our sakes. You are too powerful and too ignorant and too _soulless_. To think, I never saw it before."

Sango and Miroku sprang forward and pulled the young woman away before Kikyo could retaliate for Kagome's blow. Inuyasha darted towards Kikyo instead. "Kagome, what the hell were you thinking?" he snapped as Kikyo was pressing a hand to her cheek, where the red outline of fingers was beginning to form.

The monk released Kagome. "I believe you should be directing that question towards Kikyo," he said, his words measured and dangerously soft.

Inuyasha blinked at the fury the normally placid monk was emanating. Miroku was the only one aside from Kikyo that had realized the enormity of Kagome's words, but even so, the hanyou's continued defense of the undead priestess shocked even the monk. After a moment of scrutiny, Miroku turned his back on his friend. "Sango, my dear," he said, his cheerful self returning, if only on the surface, "we should be going, don't you think?"

Sango nodded. "Yes, I do. Coming, Shippo?"

"Yup!" The fox bounded up onto Miroku's shoulder. "Ready!"

"Wait, what are you doing?" Inuyasha asked. He watched as Kagome turned around and begin to walk away. He followed. "You're not actually leaving?"

Miroku didn't look back as he answered. "Last time you chose Kikyo over Kagome, we chose to stay with you, Inuyasha."

"It was the wrong choice," Sango added.

The monk nodded. "We're going with Kagome this time."

Inuyasha was stricken. "But what about Naraku? And the Jewel?" They continued to walk away. "Kagome!"

She turned and looked at him with such cold determination that he stepped back. "For four years, I have devoted my life to you. I have sacrificed more than you can understand. And yet, I was willing to make that sacrifice." She paused and frowned. "Until now. My life doesn't have to be a sacrifice, Inuyasha. I shouldn't have to watch you, someone that was once my dearest friend, take sides against me at every turn for the sake of a woman who will _never_ love again."

"I never took…"

"You always took," Kagome interrupted. "You took and you took and I gave everything I had, freely. What little I have left is not for you anymore. And I know you thought you always had a choice between us. But Inuyasha, you had already chosen a long time ago. And now I have too."

Inuyasha's brow creased. "Fine! Leave! You're going to die without me. You're powerless, Kagome. Don't think I'm going to come and save you!"

Kagome smirked, the most amusement she had shown for quite some time. "I don't think you're going to do anything, except realize your mistake here." She turned away and disappeared into the darkness.

Sango, Shippo and Miroku followed without a glance back at the hanyou. Kagome's form moved through the shadows ahead of them at a startlingly quick pace and they hurried to keep up.

"What do you think will happen now?" Sango whispered.

The monk frowned. "I think that Inuyasha will follow at a distance. I know that Lord Sesshoumaru is nearby. We will accompany Kagome, who is going to lead us all. To where and what end, I cannot say." He sighed. "But a divided force is a vulnerable one and if I were Naraku, I could not see a better time to attack."

The taijiya took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Then it is a good thing we are here together," she said. "To protect Kagome."

Miroku allowed himself the smallest of smiles. "Yes, we have finally made the right choice."

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A/N: I know you hate me, both for the content of this chapter and for being rather late with it, when I promised you a quick update. Unfortunately, I wasn't pleased with my first draft and had to entirely rewrite it – I really thought it owed it to you guys to have a worthwhile conversation between Kagome and Sesshoumaru. I hope that you understand all that was said – in the previous version, it was much more complicated, but if you're still confused, just let me know. There'll be more about it later on too.

Please review! Thanks!


	23. Triptych

A/N: Hey all! Thanks for the great reviews for the last chapter. I know, I know. I promised that this story would be done by the end of 2007. Obviously, that's not going to happen. Real life has kind of been beating down on me lately and although the holidays have given me some free time, most of it has been spent either recuperating or catching up on backlogged schoolwork. I would much rather spend my time with this story, but c'est la vie.

Anyway, there were 2 main questions that you guys had, which I will sort of answer:

Question: "If a miko loses her powers when she falls in love, what about Kikyo and/or Midoriko? Why do they still have their powers?"

Answer: Because it's not when a miko falls in love, it's "when a miko takes a lover", in Kikyo's own words. Traditionally, miko were supposed to be virgins and when they got married, they weren't miko any longer. Although they've never come out and said it in the anime, this is probably the reason that Kikyo needed to get rid of the Jewel before marrying Inuyasha – without the Jewel, she had no obligation as a miko and therefore, could quit. And that's also why Midoriko was safe from Nameless – if he took her virginity, he'd have taken away her valuable powers, which were an asset to him at that point. So basically, Kikyo is accusing Kagome of sleeping with Sesshoumaru.

Question: "If Sesshoumaru kills Kagome, like he threatened, won't he die too because of the bond?"

Answer: Short answer – yes. Long answer – it's in the chapter, so read on!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 23: Triptych

Inuyasha sniffed the air discreetly as they entered the village. Kagome had been here this morning, he confirmed, although it was really unnecessary. Several villagers were stepping forward already, smiling at his companion and calling her by another name.

Kikyo frowned slightly. "I am Kikyo," she said simply and many of the people dropped their hands and cast them both a suspicious glance. "I am a miko."

"This is a fortuitous day then," said one of the older men, smiling again, but not with as much warmth. "We had another priestess through here just this morning. You could be her twin."

Inuyasha saw Kikyo's angry glance out of the corner of his eye. "It is fortunate for you," she said, stressing the last two words ever so slightly. "I assume she looked to your needs, so we will merely pass through."

"Oh yes," said the man. "Lady Kagome was very kind. We do not want for more, although you are most welcome here, Lady Kikyo."

The priestess gave the man a tight smile. "I am certain that I am. Thank you."

The small crowd moved away, uninterested in the second miko of the day and distrustful of her hanyou companion. Inuyasha ignored the few glances he received and continued down the main avenue of the village.

"Why are we following her?" Kikyo hissed softly. "This is the second time in as many days that we have met such a reception!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "She has the shards. Naraku will go after her and even if she doesn't want my help anymore, I'm not going to lose all the shards to him. We can't depend on Sesshoumaru after all."

"He is still following her too?"

The hanyou nodded and glanced up ahead at the ridge of wooded hills that ran along the left of their path. "Yeah. He's ahead of us. He's keeping pretty close to her."

Kikyo peered at him. "Are you sure that you aren't following for the same reasons he follows her?"

Inuyasha stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered. "We're both protecting the shards from Naraku. Sesshoumaru just has some other reasons to stay close too. With as much trouble as she tends to get herself into, it's probably a good thing that we're all staying nearby."

The miko turned away, her face impassive as ever. "Inuyasha, your devotion to that girl can never be hidden, especially from me."

The hanyou began to color and protest when a group of children approached. "Another priestess!" one was saying.

"Do _you_ know any games?" another asked with a small bow.

"Games?" Kikyo repeated. "No."

The tallest child, a boy with hair pulled back at the nape of his neck, kicked at the ground. "I told you," he muttered to the others. "Let's just go and play Lady Kagome's game, okay? It's Masami's turn to be the demon!"

Kikyo scowled but then immediately turned it into a sweet smile. "I do remember one game, actually. You may know it already."

"Kikyo, what are you doing?" Inuyasha muttered.

"It will just take a moment, Inuyasha," Kikyo snapped quietly. She looked back at the expectant children, with Masami looking particularly intrigued, as she had no wish to play the demon's part.

Inuyasha stepped back and crossed his arms as Kikyo began to instruct and arrange the children for the game. This was completely ridiculous, he groused inwardly. He may have moments where others called him naïve, but Inuyasha was well aware that Kikyo was competing against Kagome, even without the younger miko's knowledge. He would have to steer away from people who had crossed paths with Kagome first from now on.

After all, how could anyone love Kikyo after meeting Kagome first?

He stopped breathing for a moment, stunned at his own thoughts. Is that how he really thought of the two miko?

He considered it for a moment, watching Kikyo from beneath the fringe of his hair. She was methodical and clear in her instructions. They would pass this game onto their children and children's children and beyond that. But they would never love it, even if it were the most exhilarating game they had ever played.

It was the detachment with which Kikyo instructed them, he decided. He could see Kagome in his mind's eye, completing the very same task. No child would fidget or frown – they would be rapt with attention as Kagome explained and moved about, demonstrating every tactic of the simple game.

Kagome had life, whereas Kikyo was devoid of it. They could be twins, the old man had said, and yet they could be no more different if they had tried.

Suddenly, Inuyasha wanted to cry for the first time in years. He had cried as a child, as every child does, but this was the second time in his adult life that he was about to cry for Kagome. Last time, she had been dying along with all of their friends from a noxious poison. This time, she was dying within his own heart.

Kikyo finished her instructions and stood back to watch the children in a few matches of strength and determination. They stood back to back and obediently tried to push each other out of the small, misshapen circles in the dirt. Kikyo had divided them poorly, however – larger boys immediately shoved two girls out and one boy stepped out on his own rather than touch the girls with whom he had been matched. It was like precocious sumo wrestling with cooties.

The tall boy soon stood victorious in his own circle and bowed to the miko. "Thank you, Lady Kikyo. We will remember this game."

The priestess smiled triumphantly and bid the children goodbye, continuing on her walk. Inuyasha followed behind, looking back over his shoulder to see the children instantly reorganizing into a different game. He recognized it immediately as a game that Kagome had frequently played with Shippo and the others. Once or twice, he had been pressed into playing as well, although his speed gave him a vast advantage. Kagome had always laughed and scolded him for being a cheat. He would just grin back at her.

He remembered too that he had not been asked to play for many years.

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Shippo hopped through the underbrush, laughing as Kirara followed at a slow trot. She was humoring him, he knew, but he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. The only rule they had was no flying and that was far more of a disadvantage to Kirara than to the fox kit.

"Come on, Kirara! At least _try_!" he called, smiling back over his shoulder.

The fire-cat gave a little growl and darted away, out of sight. Shippo stopped and frowned. What did he do to offend her?

"Kirara?"

There was a flash of flame twenty yards to his left and Shippo saw her standing in her alternate form, looking right back at him. He squeaked and turned tail. "Not fair!" he cried, running.

The fire-cat let out a soft little noise like a chuckle as she loped after the fox kit. In the forest, her larger form was actually a hindrance, but she enjoyed teasing Shippo at times. Besides, these games helped train the fox for true battle and she was not going to go easy on him, because no demon with malevolent intentions would.

Kirara was closing in behind him when Shippo finally collected his wits. "Divide!" he called out and Kirara was quickly surrounded by Shippo duplicates, some of which danced around her paws and some of which ran off into different directions.

It took the fire-cat a moment to discern that the real Shippo was not close by, but one of those that had fled. She followed her nose carefully – because he had created them, the duplicates carried Shippo's scent too and the real fox was only recognized by the other trace scents he carried, like that of Kagome.

She found the trail and ran after him. He was headed back towards the others, probably unwittingly, and Kirara had no desire to get scolded for indulging the child in a game of tag when they were supposed to be gathering firewood.

Kirara slowed as she came to a small clearing full of motherwort, an herb that Kagome frequently harvested for its medicinal purposes. Its smell was overpowering and Kirara, quite apart from her growing alarm for the fox kit, congratulated Shippo for running through here. The minty smell in her nose would impede her from seeking him out for several minutes. She contemplated breaking their one rule and taking to the air to find the little boy. It was beginning to grow dark after all.

But another moment and Kirara knew exactly where Shippo was. Sense of smell aside, there was no way she could miss _that _aura.

The fire-cat bounded forward, crushing the motherwort underneath her massive paws. It took mere seconds to reach the fox kit once she was on the other side and soon she was standing over him, her teeth bared to the one that threatened him.

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at the fire-cat. He was alone and did not move for his swords. Kirara relaxed marginally.

"Akemi," he said simply.

The fire-cat let a soft growl rumble through her chest, not bothering to hide the annoyance she felt towards the taiyoukai, even if he had been her savior once. Sesshoumaru nodded.

Shippo peeked out from beneath the cat, clutching at her fur. "Her name is Kirara," he said. "Are you going to hurt us?"

"If I were, you would already be dead," Sesshoumaru replied coldly. Akemi – or rather, Kirara – lifted one lip in warning and he looked away. They both knew that he would not harm her or the fox kit.

"Are you hurt?" Shippo asked suddenly.

The taiyoukai frowned for a moment before realizing that Kagome must have told her companions everything. They would not have allowed her to sit in silence for the past three days after all. The child seemed to have misunderstood part of the explanation, but he was not going to fill in the blanks. "I am not in pain," Sesshoumaru replied.

"Because you're close to Kagome," Shippo said, his fear ebbing away. "Why don't you just say you're sorry? Then you can come with us and you won't be hurt."

Sesshoumaru glared, but the large green eyes of the fox kit did not turn away. "I have no need of a child's advice."

Shippo frowned for just a moment before nodding sagely. "Oh, okay. Inuyasha doesn't like to apologize either, when he upsets Kagome. But he does eventually, when he realizes he's being stupid and mean." A soft growl from Sesshoumaru finally had the desired effect and the fox cowered behind Kirara's leg. "Kagome will be mad at you if you hurt me!" he added.

Sesshoumaru scoffed softly. "What is there to fear from a miko who is no longer a miko?" he asked.

"How do you know about that?" Shippo asked, narrowing his eyes. "Kagome didn't know that until we found her where you left her!"

The taiyoukai gave him a baleful stare.

"Oh, you spied! Well, Kagome is too a miko!" he argued. "She'll get her powers back soon and then she'll make you 'sit' just like she does to Inuyasha!"

"Doubtful," Sesshoumaru said. "She is just another useless human. She will die from such uselessness soon enough."

The fox kit's face turned cold to rival even the taiyoukai's most notorious expression. "She told us all about you. She said that you saved her and she said that you were nice to her and gave her everything. She said that you were a great and powerful taiyoukai."

"This Sesshoumaru _is_ powerful," interjected the demon.

"But not great," Shippo answered. "Kagome told us about your father too. He was great. He was good and compassionate and listened to everyone. He wouldn't have rejected Kagome. He loved her too and he only knew her for a few days. Lord Toga would have understood what she had to do. He would still love her. So Kagome is wrong. You aren't great like your father at all."

The taiyoukai rounded on the kit, ignoring the fire-cat's raised fur and loud snarl. "You know nothing of my father," he snapped. "And you know nothing of me."

"It's just three hundred years!" Shippo replied, not quailing at all. "You know that's nothing to us! You could live for thousands and thousands of years and now you're going to live it all alone. Who else but Kagome would ever love a monster like you?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes bled red. "Get out of my sight!" he roared. "Only your years and your infantile mind saves you from my claws!"

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size then, you bastard?" came a voice. "He's just telling the truth and you know it!"

Sesshoumaru whirled around to see Inuyasha not five feet from him. Anger had clouded his senses so thoroughly that his brother had managed to approach unnoticed. Tetsusaiga was drawn, but hanging at Inuyasha's side. Attack was not imminent, which surprised the taiyoukai, although he did not show it. "You know even less of it than the fox child," growled the taiyoukai. "She abandoned you."

Inuyasha, who once upon a time would have struck out for such a comment, only tightened his jaw. "I'm starting to think that maybe she was right to do it," he said softly. "But even if she did it without reason, it doesn't mean I'll stop protecting her, no matter what I say. It should be you though. You're the one that should be there."

"I plan to kill her in four days if she does not sever this ridiculous bond between us," growled Sesshoumaru. "Why should I not let some other creature do it for me?"

"But if she dies, you will too!" Shippo cried.

Inuyasha looked stricken. "I won't let you kill her! Even if it would rid me of you!"

"It is not your choice," Sesshoumaru sneered. "As you point out, it is truly my place to protect her and I choose not to. As for my own death, it would be welcome after these centuries of pain."

The hanyou paled, his hand tightening around Tetsusaiga's hilt. "I'm not letting your weakness kill Kagome!"

"It is not your place!" roared Sesshoumaru. "She is my mate!"

The forest stilled for a moment in the face of this declaration. Inuyasha fixed him with a steady glare. "Exactly," he said. "Don't you realize what you have, you bastard? Kagome… she actually loves you! I have no idea why, but I bet it's something that three hundred years can't change."

His body shook with a sudden inward chill as his face slackened. "Having Kagome love you is like finding out why you're alive. Having her hate you is like having your heart ripped out," Inuyasha continued softly. He paused and cleared his throat. "Anyone who turns her down is an idiot and a coward."

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to reply, when the shrill whine of a demon filled the air. All four of them turned. "Kagome!" Shippo cried before scrambling onto Kirara's back and taking to the air.

The taiyoukai and the hanyou started to run, Sesshoumaru outstripping Inuyasha and the fire-cat within seconds. It was not far – Shippo had come upon the dog demon as he had been taking solace in Kagome's proximity.

Sesshoumaru came to an abrupt stop at the bluff that overlooked Kagome's camp. Three demons were attacking the three humans. They were bird youkai, with massive wings that were both leathery and feathered and hooked with claws at the ends. Their terrible beaks snapped at the humans' hands as they fended them off.

Kirara flew overhead but Sesshoumaru stretched out his arm to catch Inuyasha. "No. Wait," he said simply.

The hanyou struggled against his brother's grip. "Let me go! I told you I'm not going to let her die, even if means saving your worthless life too!"

"Just. Watch," Sesshoumaru growled.

Inuyasha sent him a poisonous glare and continued to struggle as he turned to see what he expected were the last moments of Kagome's life.

But she was doing well – far better than Inuyasha had ever expected. She had taken Sango's sword and moved with a grace that almost matched the taijiya. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as she moved away from the swing of the largest bird youkai with apparent ease. There was something very familiar in the way that she moved. "You trained her."

"No more than a few lessons," replied Sesshoumaru. His eyes were fixed upon the girl. There were mistakes, of course, but the demons were so hapless that they did not take advantage. He found that his muscles were tensed to spring though. "She has more talent than you gave her credit for."

Inuyasha nodded. "Well, she was crap at archery for a long time. How should I have known she'd be good with a sword? She was always tripping over her own two feet."

"Not any longer."

Kirara had joined the fray, assisting Sango as Miroku finally vanquished his enemy with a sutra. The two brothers heard him call to Kagome as she dodged one of the hooked wings. She was in the way and he could not use the wind tunnel, but Kagome didn't move.

The demon bore down on her, trying to overpower her with weight alone, but Kagome was equal to that. She braced the sword in the teeth that filled its beak, wincing slightly as they scrapped against the metal. The demon thought it had won, now that it had Kagome's weapon in its mouth and immobile.

Kagome kept one hand on the sword's hilt and swung around, her back hitting the side of the youkai's massive head. A wing came down to enclose her against the demon's body and her hand darted out, capturing the top of it and twisting as hard as she could. The sound of the brittle, hollow bones of the wing snapping reverberated across the clearing and up to the bluff, just before the demon opened its mouth and screamed.

The sword moved quickly, turning in Kagome's hand and thrusting back behind her. It split the demon's vocal chords in one moment and in another had cut its throat up to the corner of its beak. Blood flowed out, dousing Kagome's calves and feet in its sticky warmth.

Her friends stared as the beast collapsed. All three demons were dead, but Sango and Miroku paid no heed to their own kills. They were speaking in hushed, quick voices to the girl as they led her to sit down. She was pale and shaking, but happy. Sesshoumaru could see the pride in her face and felt it in his own chest as well.

"She doesn't need either of us," Inuyasha said softly.

The taiyoukai looked at his younger brother. "Why do you want her to need you?" he asked. "Your change of attitude is perplexing, when only a few days ago you chose the undead miko."

The hanyou shook his head slowly. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure Inuyasha had even heard him. "You know how many times she's run from me over the years? I can't even count that high. But she always came back." He paused and looked down at the smiling girl. "She's not coming back this time though. Even if she stands right next to me, she won't come back."

Sesshoumaru studied Inuyasha for a moment and found true suffering. It was beneath his expression and beneath his scent. It marked every fiber of his being in a way that was both familiar and frighteningly foreign. This then, was the path that Sesshoumaru was walking. Soon, he would be just as crushed as Inuyasha.

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Temperatures dropped precipitously on the fifth day, forcing them to stop as soon as it got dark so that they could prepare for the inevitable overnight freeze. Miroku had found a shallow cave that was dry and uninhabited, and they built their fire inside as the wind swept across the cave's mouth.

"We won't make it to the mountains in two days," Sango said softly as they ate the last of Kagome's ramen.

"But if we don't get the witch to help us, Sesshoumaru is going to kill Kagome!" Shippo said. "Could Kirara do it?"

The taijiya shook her head. "With this wind? No. Perhaps if it dies down tonight, Kirara would be able to make the trip."

Miroku looked over at the young miko. "You could just revoke him."

"No," murmured Kagome.

The others sighed collectively. They had been trying to convince the girl to simply deny Sesshoumaru's three hundred year old suit. That would solve the problem, they argued. But it would still kill her, Kagome would retort. She knew he still loved her and she was adamant that he would never harm her, despite his threats. The others were not so sure.

Unlike Kagome, they had seen him standing on the cliff with Inuyasha two days ago. They saw how he did not lift a finger to help her survive the battle with the bird demons and how he had held back Inuyasha from doing the same. He was probably disappointed that the youkai did not finish his work for him, Sango had sullenly whispered to Miroku the next day.

They knew he cared for Kagome, of course – no one could spend so much time with the miko and _not _care for her. But Sesshoumaru's ability to extinguish his emotions made this point moot. He was still dangerous and they feared greatly for their lovesick friend.

"Perhaps we should just sleep, so that we can begin with the sun tomorrow," Miroku suggested, putting aside his empty ramen container.

His companions silently assented and Kagome curled into her sleeping bag beside Shippo. It felt as if she had only just closed her eyes when she sat straight up in bed, awake as if it had been midday. _Something_ was in here with them.

A hand clapped over her mouth as she began to cry out, and she was pulled back against the creature's chest. Shippo curled up tightly in his sleep, reacting to the loss of warmth.

"Shh, Kagome," whispered a familiar voice. "I just want to talk to you."

The miko relaxed only marginally but enough for her unseen companion to release her. "Koga," she murmured, "you shouldn't be in here!"

"I know," he replied with a soft sigh. He plucked at her sleeve. "Come on outside."

"It's freezing. And Miroku will wake up," she said, nodding at the monk who stretched across the exit.

"Lie," he suggested. "Please, Kagome."

Her shoulders sagged at the thought of crawling away from her sleeping bag and the fire. "Fine. I'll be there in a minute," she said. It was barely out of her mouth before he leapt away, over Miroku and out of the cave.

She dragged herself to her feet, put on a pair of soft slippers that she had received from Toga and tucked Shippo into her sleeping bag. Miroku shifted as she moved past him. "Bathroom," she whispered, in case he was awake, and he rolled back over to face the fire again.

It was even colder outside than she had expected and she almost turned right around to go back inside, until Koga stepped out of the shadows. He was in his usual furs, baring his legs and arms and she wondered how he could stand the cold. It occurred to her that he couldn't withstand it any better than she could, because he was shaking.

"Do you want me to get you something warmer, Koga?" she asked, frowning. "Or we can build up the fire a bit and talk. I'm sure the others won't mind…"

"No," he interjected. "I just wanted to talk to you alone."

Kagome nodded and moved away from the cave's mouth. "What about?" she asked, once she judged that they were far enough. The moonlight fell on his face and she finally saw his deeply troubled expression. She reached forward to touch him, but he moved away. "Koga? What's wrong?"

He hesitated for a long moment. "You've taken a mate," he said quietly.

Kagome frowned. "Well, not _really_. I mean, I guess I have." She sighed. "It's a bit complicated right now, Koga."

"Why didn't you tell me you loved someone else?"

"I… I didn't love him when I saw you last." She bit her lip. "I've been gone for awhile."

"I know," he said. "I've been checking up on Dog-Breath, but you were never with him. You're still not with him. Why are you here when he's following so far behind?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha is following us?"

Koga frowned. "Of course. What happened?"

She considered his news for a moment. "We just had a fight," she said with a shrug.

"Must have been worse than usual though, if you're not traveling together," he growled.

"Don't worry about it. If Inuyasha is following us, he's feeling exactly what he needs to be feeling right now." The miko had a sudden thought. "Koga, how do you know that I've taken a mate, but you don't know about what happened between me and Inuyasha?"

"There's a shift in your scent. Every youkai knows when a female has taken a mate," he said.

"Inuyasha didn't know. Shippo didn't know."

He scoffed. "He's just a hanyou. Probably doesn't know better. He's got too much human in him. And the fox is just a kid. He would have known if he were older." He paused and his eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean that Dog-Breath didn't know? Isn't he…?"

Kagome took a step back. "You think that Inuyasha is my mate?"

"Who else?" he asked quietly.

The miko took a breath. "Sesshoumaru."

Koga blinked. "Sesshoumaru? No, it can't be him," he said.

Kagome arched an eyebrow. "And why not? I know I'm human…"

The wolf laughed a bit, much to Kagome's surprise. "You know, I never understood why everyone says Sesshoumaru hates humans. As far as I can tell, he's just like his father – hopelessly addicted to humans."

"How do you figure that?" asked Kagome.

"Well, there's that little girl he wanders around with," Koga said. "And when I was a kid, he and my uncle were in love with the same human woman."

Kagome couldn't help the soft smile spreading across her face. "Oh? And what happened to her?"

Koga shrugged. "I never knew. She must have died eventually. For years, long after a human would have lived her life, my uncle talked about her and how much he wished that Sesshoumaru hadn't gotten to her first." He gave a sad smile. "She promised that she would come back to see me and she never did."

"She wouldn't have broken a promise to a child," the miko said. "A child who she knew would become a dear friend."

The wolf frowned. "What do you mean?"

She leaned forward and smiled. "I did promise – I just never said _when_ you would see me again. I'm sorry it took so long."

Koga stepped backwards, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. "But that's impossible. That was three hundred years ago. You look like her, but… but that's impossible."

"You were orphaned the night we met," she said. "Sesshoumaru carried the two of us on his back, but we were attacked and you were knocked unconscious for awhile. When Tomi came, you were the one that told him that I was nice to you so they wouldn't hurt me…"

"He always said that I stopped him from making the worst mistake of his life," Koga said, interrupting. "He fell in love with you as we walked back to the cave, even though you were crying over Sesshoumaru most of the time. Tomi said that it was your devotion to his rival that did him in. I never understood, when I got older, how he had fallen in love with you so quickly. But three hundred years later, I did the same thing, didn't I?"

Kagome gave him a sympathetic half-smile. "I'm sorry, Koga. I wish I could have explained it back then. Are you okay?"

Koga thought for a moment. "You'll have to explain how it happened, sometime."

"I can do it tomorrow morning," she offered. "You're welcome to join us and I'll tell you all about it."

"Well, I don't need to know _everything_," Koga said, arching his brow. "I still got feelings, you know?"

"Oh." She colored. "I'm sorry, Koga."

He shrugged and laughed softly. "You know, I'm disappointed, but not as much as I thought I'd be. Knowing it was you all those years ago with Sesshoumaru somehow makes it better. I guess because even Tomi knew that he was fighting a losing battle there. And at least it's not Dog-Breath."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Koga," she said, moving towards him for a hug.

But he moved away. "Don't think that's a good idea, Kagome," he warned with an easy grin. "We have an audience that could get very jealous."

The miko looked to where the wolf pointed and saw a shimmer of white. Sesshoumaru was watching them. She rolled her eyes, despite the flutter in her chest. "Oh, fine. Even though he doesn't deserve that much deference."

Koga laughed. "Sounds like love," he commented.

Kagome shook her head with a smile. "I'm going to go back to sleep now," she said. "I'll explain everything in the morning."

"Sounds good," he said. "Until then, I think I'll take a stroll _away_ from where you're sleeping." He glanced back towards the trees and although the white shimmer had disappeared, he knew that Sesshoumaru was still out there.

"Goodnight, Koga," the miko said, heading back to the cave. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "You know, maybe you should look up Ayame again."

Koga scoffed lightly. "Her?"

"Just a thought," Kagome said with a shrug and a smile.

The wolf watched as she ducked back into the cave and grinned to himself. "Well, maybe I will…"

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A/N: A "triptych" is a work with three related parts, with the middle part usually being the most important. I hope you enjoyed it!

And by the way, SingleSpark is up and running again, so it and FFN are on the same chapter now.

Please review!


	24. Sunrise

A/N: Hello all. Sorry for the long wait – law school finals come three times a year for this poor soul and I am in the midst of another round.

Anyway, one person asked where Myoga was during this whole deal, pointing out that the flea had worked for Inuyasha's father. There are 2 answers. First, he just didn't fit in and as he usually disappears for long periods of time, I didn't see this as a problem. Second, for some reason, Myoga barely even recognizes Sesshoumaru when he first encounters him in the anime. I figure Myoga worked with Toga after Sesshoumaru distanced himself from his father.

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 24: Sunrise

The snowflakes clung to her hair and her eyelashes as she moved through the darkness of the early morning. It was at least two more hours until dawn and the snow was already dusting the ground with no signs of stopping. Winter had come late, but it seemed determined not to lose any more time showing its power.

She came to the edge of the fields and hesitated. She knew she should stay in sight of the village where they were staying for the night, but the dark forest in front of her beckoned. The restlessness of her body was too much to ignore – she could not go back and sleep and she would not be satisfied wandering around the small patches of frozen ground where the villagers grew their crops.

Kagome took a breath and stepped into the shadows of the trees. It was quiet, except for the creaking of the branches in the wind. It normally would have terrified her, but she felt no fear this morning.

She moved quietly through the forest, her thick winter kimono whispering against her legs. Sesshoumaru's fur was wrapped around her shoulders – it was the first time she had worn it since he had left it with her a week ago. His scent had faded only slightly and she pulled the pelt to her nose and breathed deeply, allowing herself a small smile.

In the distance, barely perceptible to her human ears, leaves rustled with someone's step. Although bereft of her spiritual powers, Kagome knew it was the taiyoukai. She wondered if the time had come already.

"Sesshoumaru," she murmured.

There was no answer, and she let out a breath, knowing that she was being ridiculous. If he wanted to talk to her, he would talk to her in his own time. She hoped that he knew that she didn't appreciated being spied upon though.

She wandered for an hour at least, knowing that she was walking farther and farther from the village. The others would be worried if they woke to find her missing, but she couldn't make herself turn around. Koga would probably turn up soon, cocking his eyebrow and telling her that she should have at least tried to get some sleep instead of traipsing around in the woods all night.

Kagome sighed and slowed her pace. If she turned around now, she could probably get back before any of them woke up. But she was still reluctant – if she wasn't there, they would be worried, but that was better than being there and still surrounded by her friends' constant concern.

"That's just selfish," she muttered to herself. She pivoted on the spot and began to head back.

And there was Sesshoumaru, directly in her path and not more than five feet away.

She stared for a moment until her brain caught up with her fluttering heart, reminding her of what day it was. "I thought I had a few more hours," she said. "You gave me a week and it hasn't been exactly a week yet."

The taiyoukai frowned. "I said that you must revoke me or die by my sword when I returned. I was not so specific as you claim."

Kagome scowled. "Fine, then. We're going to do this now? That's okay with me," she said. "I'm actually sick of waiting around for you, fearing what you could possibly do to me. After four years in this time, I'm not so easily affected by threats of death and violence, you know. But threats of losing the one that I lo-."

"Enough," he growled.

"No," she snapped, even surprising him. "The threat of losing the one that I _love_ is what really scares me, Sesshoumaru. So if you want to kill me, then kill me. But I want you to know that it's not death that makes me so afraid."

Tokijin flashed with its own malevolent light as he drew it. Kagome did not move except to hug his pelt closer to her skin. He suddenly remembered the night she had died and the sight of the miko falling under a blade. His chest tightened and he tried to push away the memory.

She saw the hesitation in his gaze, even through the dark. "Could I ask for one last thing?"

The tip of the deadly sword fell immediately to the ground and it hung loosely in his claws as he nodded.

"Could I see one last sunrise? With you?"

The dark did not shield anything from him – to a taiyoukai, night was almost as bright as day. He could see every snowflake that had escaped the canopy that continued to fall on her dark hair. He could see how tightly she held onto his fur. He could see that she was wearing a simple wool kimono on her body but his mother's golden comb in her hair. And he could see that she was stalling, but he nodded again, damning himself as he did it.

She smiled and walked past him, close enough so that the hairs of his pelt brushed his empty sleeve. He turned and fell into step beside her immediately. Kagome's heart warmed slightly, although she knew he was simply too proud to trail behind her like a lost puppy. Except that that was exactly what he was, she mused silently.

They traveled in awkward silence for several minutes when Sesshoumaru surprised the miko by speaking first. "I saw you with the wolf."

"I saw you watching me with the wolf," she replied, arching her eyebrow.

He snorted softly. "Is he the same wolf that was orphaned in my father's home three hundred years ago?" he asked.

Kagome gave him a sidelong glance. This was the first time he had willingly brought up their shared past. "Yes. What about it?"

"Why did you not alter his memory?"

The miko let out a long breath and frowned. "He was a child. He didn't even remember me until I reminded him. _You_ know that perfectly well, since you were eavesdropping," she snipped. "Why does it matter? You were the _only_ one whose memory was altered, after all."

"He was simply an aberration," Sesshoumaru said. "The others you came into contact with are all dead."

Kagome sighed. "I know," she replied. "Tomi and Mizu, Koga's uncles, you remember them? They died several years after we left them. They fought because Mizu was trying to challenge Koga earlier than he was supposed to. Tomi won the fight, but he died anyway from his wounds."

"I know."

The miko looked at him. "Of course. They were your subjects. Why didn't you help Koga and Tomi?"

"The wolf prince managed to secure his leadership," Sesshoumaru replied, his eyes narrowing. "Death is often a part of such transitions."

"Koga said it was because your father had just died and you were struggling to secure your own lands," Kagome said.

The taiyoukai's chest rumbled with a soft growl. "If you knew, why did you ask?"

"To see if you'd tell me the truth," Kagome whispered. "You lied. You didn't used to lie."

"I did not lie. I merely evaded the answer you sought. And as I continually remind you, much time has passed since you thought you knew this Sesshoumaru," the demon said.

Kagome shook her head. "No, you're terrible at lying. You can't lie convincingly. So this is new, because I would have known if you had lied to me before." She paused and frowned at him. "Koga knew in a second that I was telling the truth about the past, even though he didn't know how it was possible. He accepted it as easily as anyone could accept it, even though he only knew me when he was a child. He accepted it and he still is my friend, despite the fact that he knows how his parents died and exactly why that happened. But you're still denying everything."

He glared. "I know that it was you."

The miko lifted her chin and stared right back. "No. Right now, I'm just a girl who walks, talks and looks like the Kagome you knew. You're denying that it's really the same one from so long ago."

"Ridiculous," he scoffed.

"Is it?" she asked. "Then why haven't you forgiven me for what I did to you? Why don't you admit that you still love me?"

His jaw and fist clenched. "I already told you. I will not repeat myself," he snapped, his steps quickening slightly.

Kagome matched his pace. "If you really accepted that it was me then and now, you would realize that I never would have done it if I thought there had been any other choice. And you would know that I would rather die than lose you again. And you would know that you love me because you haven't really changed that much at all. You just pretend that you have."

Sesshoumaru glared, his retort upon the tip of his tongue, when the trees broke and they found themselves atop a soft swell of earth. The village was still hidden, but the sky stretched over them and down to the horizon, where the first yellows of sunrise began to show.

Kagome stopped, and reached out, tugging on his sleeve. "Shh," she said, her eyes fixed upon the place where dawn would arrive.

She had thought that it would not be beautiful, because of the snowstorm that still swirled overhead, but she was wrong. Shafts of light began to break through the clouds, bouncing off of the gray mist and making it glow. The soft creamy color transformed to the deeper shades of lemons and daffodils. Oranges sprang out from the horizon along with reds and the miko and the taiyoukai shimmered with the colors as the light hit their faces.

The blazing ball of light was beginning to climb above the horizon when Kagome realized that she was crying. Sesshoumaru turned to look at her as the sun caught each droplet upon her cheeks, but he didn't say a word.

She leaned closer to him, wordlessly reaching out. Her eyes closed in joy as she felt his fingers encircle hers. For a few moments, she pretended that he knew exactly how he felt and accepted her as his own dear mate.

I love you, she told him silently. I love you, even if you do kill me.

Her eyes opened again to see her last sunrise. The edges of the sun were smudged with the clouds and she watched it ascend into the darkening storm. Its light diffused as it hid behind the snow.

"It is over," Sesshoumaru said at last.

She turned to him and wiped away the tears with her sleeve. "I know," she murmured. The smallest of smirks touched her lips. "Don't suppose I can get a sunset too?"

He released her hand and took a step back. "What is your decision?"

Kagome took a deep breath. "I won't revoke you, Sesshoumaru," she said. "Now, what is _your_ decision?"

"You know what it is," he replied, drawing Tokijin once again.

"There's so much more we could do. We're only a few days' travel from the witch. She could help," she said softly. "No one will think less of you for changing your mind. Admitting your pain doesn't make you weak, Sesshoumaru."

He took a breath. "I have made my decision."

"You're afraid," Kagome said, her gaze steady. "Sesshoumaru, of all the things to be afraid of in this world, I thought you would pick something other than a human girl. I don't even have my powers anymore."

"I am not afraid of anything," he growled.

She frowned as her heart raced within her chest. Death was not something she feared, as she had told the taiyoukai, but that did not mean that she wanted to die. Her heart fluttered again as she thought of what her friends would find and how her mother might never know what happened. "Fear isn't weakness either. You have the strength to be greater than any youkai, even your father. But you have no strength if you give in and take our lives, just because you're afraid what it might mean if you don't."

His hand tightened around Tokijin and the blade turned up towards her heart. Kagome straightened, her eyes never leaving his. "Alright. No more stalling then," she said.

His hand wavered. "Turn away," he ordered.

She saw one last ray of hope and steeled her nerves. "No. You'll look at me while you kill us."

Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched. "Kneel!"

"No. I'm not your prisoner and I'm not disgraced. I am your equal and as close to a mate as you will ever have."

His breath was uneven as he drew it into his lungs. "Revoke me," he said at last. "Kagome, revoke me."

The girl closed her eyes for just a moment. "No. You love me and I love you. Revoking you would be denying that."

Tokijin's tip hit the earth again. "You have no idea what you are asking of me," he said with a frown. She had successfully put off her death again and he kept allowing it. If it were anyone but Kagome, he would have to fall on his sword in disgrace.

"Tell me then," she murmured, not trusting herself to say more.

His brow furrowed slightly – he had not expected a challenge, although he should have. He searched his memory, looking for her breaking point. "I have slaughtered indiscriminately," he said. "Humans and demons, both, for no reason other than they were in my path."

She lifted her chin slightly. "I know," she replied. Was that the best he could do?

His eyes narrowed. "I have slept with many females that are not you," he said.

"And I loved your brother. I win," the miko said immediately. She shrugged at his barely perceptible surprise. "Like I expected you to stay celibate for someone you couldn't remember. Please, Sesshoumaru. Give me a little credit. Next?"

"I hate hanyou," he growled, tapping his claws against Tokijin's hilt.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Just like you hate humans?" she asked, her voice lilting with sarcasm.

"I have obligations to my lands which would never permit a human mate!" he argued.

"Since when do you listen to what others think about you?" she questioned smoothly. "Your father was willing to risk it. And you know I can take care of myself."

His lip lifted, showing one dangerous fang. "You would not survive the night with _me_."

Kagome smiled suddenly, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, sounds like a better way to die than what you're offering now. At least I won't die a virgin." She smirked at his minute, startled movement and the light coloring of his cheeks. "Guess you've gotten shyer since we knew each other. That explains a lot, actually."

The taiyoukai straightened to his fullest height, so that he was towering over her small frame. "You will experience nothing but hardship. I have none of my father's frivolity in my life. I have long ago shut up his palace. You will be no one's princess."

"Like that's what I was after," she muttered. "Besides, that's possibly the worst argument ever. I sleep outside all the time with no _frivolity_ around me. The only other time I've been in a palace besides your father's home, it was on a class field trip."

"You irritate me," he said, glaring at the girl. "You are disrespectful. You associate with my brother. You are just… just a human girl! We are not a suitable match and that is this Sesshoumaru's final word."

Kagome scoffed lightly and turned away. "Fine. Although I think the fact that I irritate you and you still haven't managed to kill me kind of proves that I'm exactly the match you need." She began walking away. "Know what? Live in pain. See if I care."

The miko only made it to the other side of the clearing before she heard the softest of pained sighs. She turned immediately to see the taiyoukai with his head bowed, curled in on himself. She rushed back, her hands immediately encircling his neck and pulling him close. "I'm sorry!" she breathed. "I didn't mean it! I don't want you in any pain at all! Please, say something."

He pulled away immediately and turned his back to her, sheathing Tokijin once again. "It was a momentary pain," he murmured, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment.

"What hurts when you're apart from me?" Kagome asked.

The taiyoukai glanced back at her over his shoulder to make sure she was not teasing him. For some reason, the brief separation had been more painful than any before and his senses were still clouded. "My chest," he replied.

"You mean, your heart." She stepped around him and, not daring to look up into his eyes, she pressed her hands to his chest above his armor. "You finally got the breastplate I told you to wear," she murmured.

"How could I have remembered your suggestion?" he asked, but his voice was soft.

Kagome smiled. "Well, maybe something stuck, despite the spell." Her right hand moved across the plane of his chest to his shoulder, adorned with red cherry blossoms. "Is this the same one?"

"A replica," Sesshoumaru replied. "I had it made after the first was destroyed in battle."

"That's sweet."

He tried to scoff, but it sounded only like a soft breath. "It is now my family crest," he muttered, referring to the simple cherry blossom ringed by the hexagon. "I chose a new one after my father's downfall, to disassociate myself from his dishonor."

"You chose it," she repeated quietly, finally meeting his gaze, "for your family of one?"

He looked into her brown eyes and could see that she was going to start tearing up. "You speak as if I have been alone for three centuries. I have not."

"Alone and lonely are two different things," Kagome replied. "Haven't you once wished for someone else to be with you?"

"I have companions," he said and grimaced as he did so. Jaken could hardly be considered more than a half-decent retainer. Rin was a child and a human, although he admitted a certain begrudging affection for her. Even so, Ah-Un was probably his only equal in power and the thing could not even _talk_.

"Two-headed dragons don't count," the miko said with a smile, as if reading his mind. "I won't comment on Jaken. And while Rin is adorable…"

"We have nearly run out of different kinds of flowers for her to put into my hair," he finished, monotone.

Kagome smiled brilliantly and began to laugh, in a way that he had not seen for centuries. Something deep within him struggled for life and he was having a difficult time denying it. She was so very beautiful, he acknowledged silently – just once, of course, before he told himself that he would never think of it again. And yet, he recognized the stirring in his cold heart as pleasure – pleasure that he could make her so happy, even for a moment.

"Does she really?" Kagome asked, her eyes glittering with tears that had welled up in despair, but were now trickling out with mirth.

"She tries," he said.

The miko laughed again. "You certainly have a way with human females, Sesshoumaru. It's a wonder you get anything done with all the saving of women you do," she teased.

"You were the most troublesome of anyone I have ever assisted," he replied, arching an eyebrow.

She smiled up at him. "You have come to my rescue quite a bit, haven't you? Not just back then, either. You've saved me since."

The taiyoukai foresaw danger, with her sweet expression and her gentle words, but he did not heed it. "Yes. I have felt on more than a few occasions that you were in need of my help."

She leaned in very close, her smile dimming but the passion in her eyes flaring beyond what he thought possible, even for her. "Then why don't you save me now?" she asked. "I'm in more danger than I have ever been and you're the only one that can help, but you refuse! I don't understand what's so different this time around."

His jaw clenched and he tried not to look away from her intense gaze. "More danger than the time you died?" he questioned with a half-hearted sneer.

Kagome sighed and stepped away. "Sesshoumaru, I've lost my powers. I can't sense the jewel shards and I can't defend myself."

"You defended yourself very well only a few days ago," he cut in.

She started and then smiled. "Oh, you saw that?" she murmured, clearly pleased with herself. But she sobered almost immediately. "But that was different. They were dangerous and strong, but nowhere near Naraku's power. What happens when he appears? I'll be fortunate if I survive more than a few moments."

"And why am I the one that can help with this problem? A problem that seems to be entirely yours," he added with a sniff.

Kagome ignored his barbed remark. "Well, I've been considering it and it seems quite obvious to me. You weren't the only one that was affected by our half-finished vows. You experience constant physical pain while I suffer by losing my powers."

"Why are you not in pain as I am?" he asked, and she heard the resentment in his tone.

"I am in pain. A lot of it. My powers define an important part of me, just like your strength defines an important part of you." She paused and froze the scowl that was creeping over her features. "I wouldn't be able to survive the physical pain you go through anyway."

The taiyoukai frowned. "This does not support the theory that your non-existence is what creates my agony. You would not be suffering as well."

"Why does it have to?" Kagome asked. "Besides, your theory already doesn't make sense because you're still in pain while I'm here and alive. And I lost my powers right after I left you. I thought it was that black smoke that was making the light sputter and die, but it might have been you just as easily. I think it's our unfinished ceremony that makes us suffer."

He considered this for a moment. "Perhaps," he conceded and saw that Kagome was beginning to smile in triumph. "I suppose you believe this strengthens your argument that we should complete the ceremony and become mates, thereby solving both of our problems."

The miko arched an eyebrow. "It had crossed my mind."

"You are incorrect. It is equally as likely that revoking me will have the same effect."

"Well yes, but that option has the distinct disadvantage of breaking both of our hearts," she said. She smiled as he stood there, silent and unmoving. "You want to give in to me. You're forgetting how well I know you."

The taiyoukai frowned. "I said nothing."

Kagome moved close, her hand floating up to his face. "You said a lot," she corrected. "Whenever you're torn between your pride and… and the way you feel about me, your expression flickers and a muscle in your jaw jumps. Every time. I saw it a lot three hundred years ago and it hasn't changed."

Sesshoumaru wrapped his hand around her small waist, intending to push her away. Instead, he replied, "Unless I wish it, I do not move and neither does my expression."

"Sure it does," she laughed. It was a familiar laugh – not from her, but from the courtesans that once prowled his father's mansion. It was the laugh of a woman who knew that she had won over her prey. He had never been on the receiving end of such a laugh – he took the females he wished and he discarded them in the same way – but he had seen many males fall to such a sound.

An uneasy fluttering settled in his stomach as Kagome smiled up at him. He still could not push her away – he was, in fact, drawing her closer to his body. She did not wince when the spikes of his breastplate pressed into her. Her smile only grew as her hands slid around his neck and into the hair at his nape, pulling him down to her.

At first, she was so soft and chaste that he thought she would melt away. His claws dug into the silk on her hip and his fangs pressed against her lips for a moment, reminding her of what she dealt with. She made a soft noise, a mix of annoyance and delight, as her blunt nails scraped hard against his skin. He grabbed at her, pulling her so close that nothing passed between them. She returned this rare display of emotion as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and he lifted her off the ground.

Kagome began to lose her breath and pulled away fractionally, her cheeks flushed and her eyes closed. "Please, come with me," she murmured.

He drew air into his lungs sharply, staring at the girl in his arms. "What?"

Her brown eyes opened. "I'm not asking for anything, except that you stop making yourself suffer by traveling with me again." He blinked at her and she smiled. "Oh, there it is," Kagome said knowingly, reaching forward again to slide her fingers along his cheek. He felt a muscle jumping in his jaw, as she had said it would.

He set her down. "Kagome…"

"Yes?" she asked.

"Look at our behavior," the taiyoukai replied. His eyes moved over her slim frame, taking in her mussed hair, flushed skin and loosened obi. Kami, had he done that?

Kagome shrugged, threading her fingers through her hair before fixing her kimono. "I'm not complaining," she said. "Are you?"

No, he was not, he admitted to himself. Even the loss of his control – for a moment, at least – seemed refreshing. He had been truthful when he had told her about his numerous past bed-mates, but none of them had drawn such emotion from him as one kiss from Kagome. At the time, he had simply been trying to banish the pain, but he was slowly coming to the conclusion that the only person that could perform such a miracle was the miko standing in front of him. A night with her, he decided, would heal three hundred years of torture.

He raised his eyes to look at her. She was standing still, waiting for his answer, but she was not calm. He had never seen her more nervous – her fingers were twisted together, her shoulders tense and she was even biting the inside of her lip to keep from crying out in frustration. It was comforting to realize that he could read her as easily as she could read him.

"I must retrieve Jaken and Rin first," he said finally. He paused and shifted his weight. "You should accompany me. You should not wander the forest alone."

The joy on her face was worth the sacrifice of his independent pride. "Alright," she acquiesced. "Are they far?"

"No," he replied, starting off on a path perpendicular to the way back to the village.

"Wait," Kagome murmured, reaching out and catching his wrist. "Shards. Two of them. It must be Koga."

The taiyoukai frowned. "I thought you had lost your powers."

The miko nodded. "I did." She released him, took a few steps back and then rapidly returned, taking his hand in hers. "I can barely feel it when I'm standing away from you. But it's much stronger when I'm touching you." She smiled. "I had forgotten how wonderful and _comforting_ it is."

"Similar to how my pain recedes in your presence," the taiyoukai murmured.

"Guess so. I wonder if I can purify anything."

He pulled away sharply. "Do not try," he ordered gruffly.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I'm about as likely to fry you now as I was the first time you were afraid of my powers and calling me a witch."

"Hm."

"Alright, I won't try. Yet," she said with a smirk. She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. "I'll put it this way then – I'm as likely to hurt you as you are to hurt me."

Sesshoumaru scowled. "You may try. Later. On a small scale."

"Miniscule," she promised, crossing her heart.

The taiyoukai huffed softly. "Your wolf is approaching," he muttered.

"He's not my wolf," she murmured in return. "I don't have a wolf. Only a petulant puppy."

The demon turned, his eyes flashing. "I am not…"

"Kagome!" came a cry, heading off Sesshoumaru's scolding.

"Here, Koga!"

The wolf appeared in his whirlwind, stopping at a respectable distance but not bowing to Lord Sesshoumaru or even acknowledging his presence. He was out of breath, something the miko never thought she would see. She heard Sesshoumaru sniff the air and saw him stiffen in the way he did before a battle. Her heart dropped. "Kagome, that undead priestess showed up," he said. "The one…"

"I know which one," Kagome said, frowning. "How many could there be?"

"Not the point," he replied, rather sharply. "She arrived a short time ago and she's torn up. Inuyasha is fighting some new incarnation of Naraku's. Just appeared out of nowhere around dawn and began attacking. He's probably in pretty bad shape by now."

"But I have the shards!" Kagome cried.

Koga took a steadying breath. "I don't think that is the only incarnation that will show up today. The monk sensed something coming towards the village too. It's probably there by now." He finally turned to Sesshoumaru. "I would get your ward and your servant, my lord. Naraku is doing exactly what we feared – attacking us while we're divided. We respectfully request your assistance."

Kagome trembled, at a loss, but Sesshoumaru was accustomed to such situations and slid effortlessly into the role of commander. "Return to the others and take them to where my brother is fighting. I sensed him during the night and it is not far. Flee from the second incarnation if you must. It will follow, but at the moment, we must take our strength in numbers if this is the attack he has planned for so long. I will take Kagome with me. She will be no help to you without my presence."

If the wolf found anything in the taiyoukai's speech surprising, he didn't show it. "Yes, my lord," Koga replied, turning immediately and dashing down the hill.

Sesshoumaru took Kagome by the elbow, shaking her out of her panicked silence. "You must get onto my back. I cannot carry you with one arm," he said.

Silently, she clambered on as she had done so often with Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru gripped her with the one hand he had and ran. She could feel the tension in his shoulders beneath her fingers. "What did Koga mean, that Inuyasha was in bad shape?" she asked softly.

"I do not know."

She buried her face in his soft hair. "If he dies…"

"I will resurrect him."

She lifted her head and peered at his profile. The muscle in his cheek jumped again and she knew why he was willing to save a brother he hated. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru," she whispered, pressing a grateful kiss to the curve of his ear.

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A/N: There you go, for all you people that wanted more Kagome-Sesshoumaru interaction. I'm a bit grouchy on account of finals, but I did want to get this out as it was 90 done before finals started. I hope it's not too rough.

Please review!


	25. The Apple

A/N: Thank you to everyone that has been waiting patiently as I went through exams. While I was fretting and sweating, two readers posted some gorgeous work on Deviant Art inspired by this story. They're both so wonderful and I'm so flattered and amazed that anyone would create such beautiful pictures for my story and my other readers! Go check them out here (remove the spaces or the links won't work):

"Taiyoukai of Mine" by Youkai Yume – http ://youkaiyume. deviantart. com/art/ SessKag-Taiyoukai-of-Mine-77895562

"Caught Between Times" by LazyJenny – http ://lazyjenny. deviantart. com/art/ Caught-between-times-78424891

Thanks so much, you two. :D

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 25: The Apple

When they reached Sesshoumaru's camp – after a dangerously rapid and frigid run through the snow – they found nothing but a pleased child, a fawning imp and implacable dragon. Kagome slid off of the taiyoukai's back and let out a sigh of relief.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Kagome-san!" Rin greeted them, jumping to her feet.

"Hello, Rin-chan," replied the miko. "How are you?"

"Wonderful, Kagome-san. I'm so pleased to see you again. How is Shippo? And everyone else? I didn't get to speak to any of them when we saw you last week."

Kagome let out a breath – it had felt like far more than a week had passed since their last meeting. "Shippo is great. He's growing up fast, just like you. Look at how tall you've become!" Kagome gushed. "You're almost as tall as me already."

"Jaken-sama says I'm too tall," Rin said, still smiling but the joyous light in her eyes dimming a bit. Kagome saw that she had hit upon a sore spot and cursed mentally. The tall girls in the class were always picked on at her school.

The miko shot the imp a dangerous glance and looked back at the young girl. "No, you're not too tall. You're going to be beautiful, Rin-chan. All the boys will line up to see you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama won't like that much," giggled the pre-teen.

Kagome smiled. "No, I bet he won't," she agreed. She watched as the taiyoukai began to stalk around the perimeter of the camp with his nose quivering like a bloodhound. "Rin, have you seen or heard anything unusual this morning?"

"She certainly has not," Jaken huffed, irritated at being ignored by two human females. "And I would thank you, foolish human, to keep silent and allow my lord to ask the questions!"

"The priestess arrived with me, Jaken," snapped the taiyoukai, breaking away from his intense study of the clearing for just a moment. "She may ask whatever she wishes and address whomever she wishes."

Jaken swallowed. "Of course, my lord," he stammered, eyeing the way Kagome wore his lord's furs draped over her shoulders. "But, with no disrespect intended, was there something that you – and the miko – were looking for, my lord?"

The taiyoukai frowned. "Naraku is moving against us." He sniffed the air delicately and the frown deepened.

"Surely he would not dare to fight you once again, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken chirped. "Not when he has had such crippling losses in the past!"

"I do not expect prudence from one such as him," replied the dog demon.

"But nothing's coming now," Kagome said. "And even if something was, we should still leave, just like you ordered Koga to do. Inuyasha needs us all."

Sesshoumaru took a breath, his golden eyes sweeping over the clearing again. "We leave immediately. Jaken, you will attend to Rin's safety. If she is harmed, this Sesshoumaru will not be lenient," he growled. The imp began to scuttle about, collecting their belongings at an impressive speed. "_Immediately_, Jaken. Leave everything."

Rin and the servant froze for just a moment. Their Lord Sesshoumaru was not materialistic, but he also abhorred waste. The seriousness of his expression hit them and they moved, scrambling onto Ah-Un's back.

"You as well," Sesshoumaru said, urging Kagome forward. "I can move faster alone."

"Alright." The miko ran to the dragon, clambering on behind Rin as Ah-Un rose to its feet. "Come on!" she called to the stationary taiyoukai.

He looked back at her, an inscrutable expression settling on his face. Kagome's heart began to beat unevenly. "What are you waiting for, Sesshoumaru?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"That's _Lord_ Sesshoumaru to you!" snapped Jaken.

They all ignored the imp. Sesshoumaru could only meet Kagome's eyes before he drew Tokijin. "Take Kagome to my brother," he ordered the dragon. "You will all help him."

Ah-Un began to move, lightening crackling around its feet. Kagome reached out, realizing what was happening. "No! Come with us!" she shouted, a mere second before Naraku's incarnation burst through the trees.

They were rising in the air, and the taiyoukai's white form receded. Naraku's incarnation – green, scaled and hooded head with ruby eyes – hissed and sprang forward. Its jaws opened, displaying the curved fangs of a snake. Kagome cried out as Sesshoumaru fended off the first blow.

"A cobra!" breathed Jaken and, despite his repeated faith in his lord, worry crept into his gaze.

Kagome turned to the dragon. "Take me back!" she yelled. "He can't fight it alone!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru will easily win against such a foe," the imp said tremulously.

"No, he won't," cried Kagome, grabbing at her own collarbone and trying to rub away the sudden pain in her heart. "He's in pain without me! It hurts so badly!" Whatever bonded her to the taiyoukai was growing stronger. She should have seen it, she realized. Sesshoumaru had reacted so intensely when she had stormed away earlier that morning. He had been taken by surprise by it too.

She was crying now, as was Rin. "Take me back!" Kagome yelled again.

Ah-Un snorted sadly. Jaken shook his head. "The dragon has its orders from Lord Sesshoumaru. It'll follow them no matter what."

Kagome took a breath and looked down. They were skimming just above the treetops. "Fine," she murmured, shrugging off Sesshoumaru's pelt from her shoulders. "Remember what he said about protecting Rin!"

"Wh-what?" Jaken stuttered, turning around just as Kagome jumped. "You stupid girl!" he yelled after her.

Kagome fell for far longer than she thought she would – but the impact was worse. She was winded immediately as she crashed through the canopy, scratched by the small branches and bouncing roughly against the larger ones. Her momentum slowed and she managed to catch hold of sturdy limb, groaning as her joints protested the sudden stop. "Maybe not such a good idea," she whined.

She was already close to the ground – a testament to how far she had fallen – and climbing down was quickly accomplished. Her body was bruised and bleeding, but Kagome couldn't find any breaks. It was a small miracle and a smaller comfort – she had already traveled far from the clearing and her body rebelled against the further torture of running.

And yet, run she did. Far as she was, Sesshoumaru made every battle epic and the sounds carried through the trees. Kagome clutched at the stitch in her side and prayed to any kami that would listen.

The miko arrived faster than she thought, given her sore body. Sesshoumaru was bleeding and – to her discerning eyes – exhausted, but he was still fighting the cobra demon. He couldn't have heard her over the noise of the combat, but he straightened when she arrived. "Kagome!" he snapped. "Leave!"

"No way, you jerk!"

"And _what_," he growled, swinging and forcing the snake demon to duck, "do you intend to do here?"

"Well," she yelled back, "I thought I'd let you not suffer from blinding pain!"

She thought she saw him roll his eyes at her. "Foolish girl! You'll get us both killed!"

Kagome reached back into the folds of her obi and drew out her tanto, the short dagger that Sango had given her after her successful fight against the bird youkai. It was puny compared to Tokijin or the snake's fangs, which snapped so dangerously, but it was sharp and she could use it if necessary. She felt better just being here and Sesshoumaru did too – his fighting was fluid and practiced again, like the taiyoukai she always had seen. She didn't feel the painful tug on her heartstrings anymore.

Sesshoumaru and the snake grappled with one another, the larger snake youkai pushing the dog demon backwards and into a tree trunk. Leaves rained down on them. Tokijin was shaken loose and Sesshoumaru swung with an empty hand, golden scars appearing in the air. The snake leapt back again, but did not give the dog a chance to retrieve his sword. Sesshoumaru jumped up, his hair flying, to avoid the incarnation's fangs. He did a neat somersault and landed across the clearing from Tokijin, forcing the snake to turn its back on it.

Kagome darted forward and grabbed the blade by its hilt. It sparked angrily against her skin and she almost cried out. But she bit her tongue and drew back again. Tokijin was just as malevolent as it had been when Kaijinbo forged it. She could not hold it for long or she would become possessed by its demonic aura.

But the snake had finally decided to acknowledge her presence. "Little miko," it hissed, "how kind of you to approach me, instead of doing me the discourtesy of having to hunt you down."

"Well, anything to make things easier for Naraku," she snipped.

"Kagome!" called Sesshoumaru in warning, a millisecond before the snake struck.

The miko jumped back, swinging with Tokijin and catching the snake on his arm. Green blood oozed out as the surprised demon drew away. "You bitch!"

"Been called a lot worse," Kagome replied, darting towards the taiyoukai. But the snake demon would not tolerate their reunion, intercepting the miko and attacking again. Kagome ducked and ran to the trees. Sesshoumaru came up from behind the snake and left three long gouges in his back. The demon wailed loudly and rolled away from the seething taiyoukai.

"This is _our_ fight," he growled.

"Your little whore got herself into it," replied the snake. "She's in it until the end."

"Which will come very quickly!" Sesshoumaru snarled, launching himself forward.

The cobra drew his head back, but did not move away. At the last second, Sesshoumaru deviated from his path and just in time – the ground hissed where the poison landed.

"A _spitting_ cobra," muttered Kagome. "Great. Just fabulous."

The demon turned to look at the miko. "It gets better, little miko," he hissed. His flesh pulsated twice as he stood there, his ruby eyes flashing.

Sesshoumaru immediately came to Kagome side. "You should not hold that for so long," he said slowly, taking Tokijin away. It stuck to her skin, leaving her hand stiff and sore. It felt like it had been burned, but there was no visible damage when she looked at her palm. She let her arm drop.

"What's happening?" she murmured. "Why aren't you attacking him?"

"You have seen my transformation on a number of occasions," he replied. "A strong demonic aura protects him now."

"He's already a snake. What is he transforming into?" Kagome cried.

The taiyoukai arched an eyebrow. "A bigger snake, I would imagine."

The wind whipped around them and the snake began to change. What it lacked in comparison to Sesshoumaru's grandeur, it made it up with sheer terror. The snake's limbs disappeared and long coils stretched out into the trees. The cobra's hood expanded and the fangs grew, dripping its poison. Kagome buried her face into her hands. "I've stepped into_Aladdin_," she groaned.

"What?" asked the taiyoukai offhandedly.

"Nothing," she muttered. "This is just beginning to look very, very bad. Why didn't you run? You told Koga to run if he encountered Naraku's incarnation!"

"This Sesshoumaru does not run."

She blinked. "Yes, you do! You ran from Inuyasha when he transformed that one time. Oh, and when you lost your arm. And when he finally used the Wind Scar on you. And…"

"Be _quiet_, woman!" he snapped. "This is not the time to outline my failings."

"I haven't even_started_ with that list," she muttered under her breath.

He glared at her. "I will not trouble myself to save an insolent female!"

"Who said I needed saving? I came back for you and you haven't even acknowledged that my presence is helping you!"

"Next time your_presence_ sooths the agony that I feel _because _of you, I will be sure to ask my foe to pause in his attacks so that I may do so, then," he growled.

"You just won't admit that a female helped the high and mighty Sesshoumaru! Especially a human female!"

He growled again, his body quivering with frustration. But instead of replying, he put his clawed hand on her shoulder and shoved – _hard._

"Ow!" she cried out, landing some dozen feet away. She sat up to see the fully transformed snake's fangs chomping down where she had just stood. Sesshoumaru was descending from his great leap, Tokijin aimed at the center of the cobra's hood.

Kagome scrambled for her tanto, lying a few feet away, as Sesshoumaru come to the ground in his unsuccessful bid for the snake's demise. This thing was _fast_ – faster than those other two detachments she had met so many years ago – Juromaru and Kageromaru. And it had that poison, which was dripping everywhere. Even Sesshoumaru was avoiding the puddles of acid, despite his own venomous abilities.

The clearing was significantly larger now that the cobra had transformed. Kagome ran back, over the flattened trees, to get to cover. She was rattled and had to regain some composure before venturing out again, she decided.

"Kagome!"

She turned to see the snake's tail sweeping towards her, curling around to cut off her escape routes. It was as thick as a redwood and she knew she couldn't jump over it to get to Sesshoumaru on the other side. The taiyoukai was locked with the snake's fangs, trying to dodge the drops of venom.

Kagome waited until the coils came close and then tried to scramble over the scales, but just as her hand hit the dorsal ridge, the tail wrapped around her and squeezed. She cried out in pain and drew her tanto with her shaking fingers, stabbing downwards.

The coils flinched as the snake drew back, letting Sesshoumaru drop to the ground. "The blood is poisonous!" he yelled. "Do not touch it, Kagome!"

But it was already sliding down the scales towards her, hissing as it hit her kimono. It burned away the fabric slowly but steadily as she tried to wriggle away. "Sesshoumaru!"

Tokijin glowed as Sesshoumaru struck out against the snake, but the detachment was just too powerful. Its aura was strong enough to withstand Tokijin's attacks and it laughed as Sesshoumaru continued to make superficial marks in its scales. "You will tire of this long before I do," it hissed. "Although long after I have squeezed her to death!"

Kagome screamed as the pressure increased. She continued to stab at the scales on the side away from her so that she was not drenched in the acidic blood, but her strokes were weakening. _She _was weakening. Even her breath, which should have been heavy and labored from her exertion, was shallow and halting.

Sesshoumaru flew across the clearing, his hand wrapped tightly around Tokijin.

"Don't be a fool, Sesshoumaru!" hissed the snake.

But the taiyoukai dove, shoving the blade deep into the scales and releasing a spurt of the poisonous blood. The coils loosened and dropped Kagome, who rushed away with her bloody tanto in hand. She looked back to see the snake wincing and writhing in pain, its head drooping.

But Sesshoumaru was nowhere in sight. Kagome could see Tokijin, still stuck into the snake's flesh, but there was no sign of its master.

"Sesshoumaru!" she called, running around the tip of the cobra's tail, which twitched spastically. The taiyoukai had hit the nerve, she realized – the snake was paralyzed from that point down to its tail. "Sesshoumaru!"

Then she saw him. He was moving, thank Kami, but in a similar way to the cobra. She sprang forward, trying to avoid the pools of poison.

His hakama was drenched and the acid was eating away at the silk. She wrapped her kimono sleeves around her hands and tore away the top layer of his uniform, throwing it aside. "Sesshoumaru! Look at me!" she cried, large tears dripping down her face. His hair, singed and crispy in places, was covering his face and he had not moved to see her. "Please!"

He turned and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from sobbing. The poison had sprayed across his face and into his eyes. She wiped away what remained with her sleeve and he hissed in pain. "Oh, no…"

"I have been blinded," he said tonelessly.

She nodded. "I know," she murmured, looking at the faded gold. His skin was speckled with angry red splotches and open sores where the venom had hit, but his eyes had received the brunt of it. Blood leaked from beneath his eyelids. "But it will get better. You heal real well."

He let out a soft breath and said nothing.

Kagome bit her lip. "Sesshoumaru…"

"This is still a battle and the snake still lives. We will talk of injuries later," he said, getting to his feet. The thrashing was slowing down behind them. "He is adjusting to his own loss. Get Tokijin."

Kagome ran to the sword and pulled it out of the scaly flesh, her fingers burning as the blade protested this second violation of her touch. She handed it over quickly. "You can't…"

"I can hear and smell and feel," he interrupted. "That is all I need."

The snake was rearing up, looking winded still but in better shape than the taiyoukai. His ruby eyes narrowed. "What? You still intend to fight?" he breathed. "This is no challenge, to fight a blind, three-legged dog!"

Sesshoumaru's irises turned red – with the blood already seeping from his eyes, it looked like someone had gouged out the beautiful golden orbs Kagome already missed so much. She tried not to weep as Sesshoumaru threw her a blind glance. "Take Tenseiga as I finish this creature. It will protect you."

"You need that protection!" protested Kagome.

"I have little left to protect other than you," he replied. "Take Tenseiga."

She stared at him for just a moment before drawing the healing sword from his waist. "Sesshoumaru," she began.

"Leave."

Anything she said would sound like goodbye, she realized. So instead of telling him how much she loved him, instead of kissing him and instead of crying, she ran away.

He attacked first, as soon as Kagome had harbored herself in the shade of the trees. The snake was practically anchored into place by its deadened tail, but it still could strike as fast as lightening. And it could still see its opponent. Kagome couldn't help but feel every attack was Sesshoumaru's last.

But he survived. He wasn't landing as many blows as he would of, had he his sight, but the taiyoukai was doing remarkably well with his sense of hearing alone. Kagome watched as he carefully tilted his head to find the snake and to calculate how fast it approached. The cobra was not attacking so often now, contemplating its moves – it was clearly unnerved by Sesshoumaru's ability to 'see' where it was going and had decided that perhaps this wasn't going to be so easy after all.

Kagome crept through the shadows, gripping Tenseiga in one hand and her tanto in the other. She wasn't certain what she planned to do, but she could not let this continue. Soon, one or the other would grow tired of the constant back and forth attacks and dodges. As much as she trusted the taiyoukai, she would not forgive herself if she had stood by and done nothing while it was him that fell.

Sesshoumaru was on the defensive when Kagome drew close – he winced as he jumped back and landed in a puddle of acid. Smoke was rising off of him in places where the venom had hit his clothing, but he was conjuring his own poison too, allowing it to mix with Tokijin's aura.

Now that she was close, she could see how he trembled. His body was giving out on him. Even Sesshoumaru could take only so much damage before he was exhausted. He would fall before the snake if she did not act.

The miko let Tenseiga's sheath fall to the ground and the dull blade came free. Sesshoumaru heard the scabbard hit the leaves – he turned his head ever so slightly towards her. He paused and took a breath.

She took a breath in the same moment and something sparked within her. The youkai and miko looked at one another and although she knew he was blind, she felt that he could still see _her_. Her heart beat slowly within her chest and she felt another beating alongside of it. It was stronger, yet comforting. She could not help but smile.

Kagome stepped out of the shadows. She knew what she was supposed to do now. She wasn't in pain anymore. Strength coursed through her, erasing old and new wounds. And another power flowed through her as well, a power that was far more familiar to the miko.

Something was_happening_.

Tenseiga glowed softly, growing light in her grip. "Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai crouched and sprang immediately, his sightless eyes fixed upon the cobra's dangerous head. It turned and met Kagome, brandishing Tenseiga – suddenly looking as deadly as its brother sword – and a gleaming tanto. The miko was ablaze with power and the cobra drew back from where it came to avoid touching her aura.

And it drew right back to where Sesshoumaru wanted it.

Tokijin sliced through the thin membrane covering the snake's skull and drove home into its brain. The cobra screamed and both youkai fell to the ground, one dead and one triumphant. Sesshoumaru turned immediately and cut off its head, ducking the spray of acid blood.

The taiyoukai looked back over his shoulder. "Kagome? Where are you?"

The light from Tenseiga had already died. "Here," she said. "I'm right here. I'm fine."

Sesshoumaru carefully jumped down from the cobra's head, avoiding the pooling blood and the fangs – for everyone knows that a snake can still bite after its head has been chopped off. He shoved Tokijin into the earth to clean the blade and found Kagome. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," she replied. "It was… amazing. I felt like… I'm not sure."

"As if I could see through your eyes," he finished.

"Like you were giving me your strength," she added, nodding vigorously. "And more than that. I almost – well, I think I felt my powers return. Just for a second."

"Yes, I felt that as well."

She stared at him. "And now?"

He drew in a long breath and shook his head. "I cannot see." He frowned and pressed a clawed finger to the corner of his eye, feeling the blood still running. "I may never see again."

"But you heal so fast."

"Not everything returns," he murmured, turning his head to his missing arm.

"Oh." She stepped close and brushed her fingers over his face. The skin was healing already – he would not have scars – but his eyes were looking worse. The gold was fading fast, as if the poison was sucking all of their usefulness away. "Can't we stop it?"

"There is little to be done," he said. "We still need to assist my brother."

She frowned. "You can't go like this!"

He arched an eyebrow and despite the damage, it was comfortingly familiar to her. "We just defeated a cobra, woman."

She felt a sharp stab of annoyance. "It wouldn't matter if you'd just lost all your limbs, would it? You would still show up and try to defeat Naraku."

"Don't be ridiculous," he replied. "There is no trying – I _would_ and _will_ defeat him."

"Sesshoumaru," she said, ready to admonish him for his suicidal mission. And then, suddenly, she began to cry instead. It came upon her so quickly, that she didn't have the chance to stifle it. It was just too much – too much for her to handle _without_ crying. It felt like she had an ocean behind her eyes.

He stepped back. "Stop that immediately."

She was quickly turning into a soggy mess. "I can't help it," she whimpered through her tears. "You're blind and you want to run off and get yourself into _another_ battle."

The taiyoukai frowned. "I do not understand your fears. I am perfectly capable of fighting."

"And if you're not?" she hiccupped. "You'll die."

"And so will you." His brow furrowed. "Is this why you fear for my life? Because if I die, you will die?"

She sniffed and drew herself up to her full height. "That is not the reason and you know it!" she snapped. "If that was the reason, I would have begged for my life this morning. But I _didn't_. I'm _afraid_, Sesshoumaru – for your life and your life only."

The dog demon was silent for a few moments. "What do you expect me to do?" he asked quietly. "I gave my word to the wolf that we would follow. This Sesshoumaru does not break his promises."

Kagome sucked in a breath through her teeth and Sesshoumaru had the grace to turn his head away. They were both thinking of the promise he had made to her and had subsequently broken. She dried her eyes after a moment. "It doesn't matter anyway," she said flatly. "We have no way to get there. I can't imagine that you could fly very reliably without your sight and walking would take too long. It might already be over. Inuyasha might already be dead."

"Fortunately for you," Sesshoumaru said, "loyalty outweighs obedience."

"I don't…"

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Kagome-san!" came a shout, interrupting Kagome.

The miko looked up to see Ah-Un rapidly descending from the sky. Rin bounced off the dragon's back as soon as its claws touched ground. "You're alright!" she cried happily.

"Jaken, you have disobeyed my orders," the taiyoukai said.

"It wasn't me, my lord! It was that wretched girl!" the imp argued, falling to the ground. "I tried to stop her!" He glanced furiously at Kagome. "_She _disobeyed first!" he added. Only a soft growl of warning was required to send the imp back to bowing with his face in the dirt.

The taiyoukai turned to the girl and Kagome noticed that he was doing a remarkable job of covering up his blindness – the blood had been wiped away and he had focused what was left of his golden eyes to the place where Rin was standing. Most people would never see his injury. "Well, Rin?"

But Rin was not most people and her own eyes widened immediately. "Lord Sesshoumaru, what is wrong with your eyes?" she asked tremulously.

"Explain your disobedience," the taiyoukai said instead.

Rin folded her hands. "Forgive me, my lord," she said haltingly, "but you ordered Ah-Un to take Kagome-san to your brother. Once Kagome-san jumped off, Ah-Un couldn't possibly follow your command. It did take some convincing on my part, Sesshoumaru-sama, and I am sorry for disobeying your intentions – which I fully understood – if not your actual words."

"Clever," muttered Kagome, watching the girl twist her fingers together. The miko leaned close to the dog demon. "And she knows already. Just tell her."

"We have no time for such things," he replied brusquely. He walked with surprising steadiness towards the two-headed dragon. "Whatever injuries I have sustained, Rin, you will not disobey me again. I will be lenient this time. I have little luxury for doling out punishments to willful children. All of you, get on."

Kagome glared but took the girl by the shoulders and helped her back onto Ah-Un. Sesshoumaru sat in front with Rin between him and Kagome. Jaken was in the last place. The beast groaned slightly at the added weight of a full-grown taiyoukai, but it once again climbed into the sky.

Rin began to weep and the miko gathered her close. "Everything will be alright, Rin-chan," she murmured. She knew that the wind was not hiding her whispers from the sharp ears of the taiyoukai, but she pretended at giving some privacy to the distraught girl.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has been blinded!" Rin whimpered.

"Oh, be quiet, Rin!" Jaken said, leaning around Kagome to glower at the girl. "Lord Sesshoumaru will heal shortly!"

The miko shot him a withering stare and the imp blanched. He didn't speak again. Kagome turned back to her charge. "Rin, do you trust Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked gently.

The girl nodded vigorously. "Lord Sesshoumaru has always taken care of me, even when I have become a burden," she said. "I have not lost trust in Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I know. Neither have I. But sometimes, we should remind ourselves how much we trust him. Did you see that huge snake back in the clearing?" she asked and Rin nodded. "Sesshoumaru-sama killed that youkai even when he couldn't see. We need to trust that he is just as strong as he was before. Different, but still Lord Sesshoumaru. He will still take care of you."

Rin wasn't eight anymore – she was a precocious twelve year old who had studied for four years how demons and human alike avoided telling the entire truth to Lord Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai always knew when someone was holding out on him and his ward had picked up that skill. She drew away from Kagome just a bit. "You didn't help?" she asked.

"Well, a little," the miko admitted. "Hardly anything to speak about – Sesshoumaru did all the work and saved my life. And help is nothing to sneer at. He will _always_ have us, after all."

Rin nodded somberly. "I will try not to worry anymore," she said, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"We can worry," the miko said with a gentle smile. She glanced at the tense posture of the taiyoukai who could hear every word. "Quietly," she added.

The girl and the young woman exchanged a knowing look and a smirk. Sesshoumaru was not appreciative of tears and they both deeply suspected that crying women actually made him nervous.

The miko decided to take pity and alleviate the taiyoukai's discomfort. "Are we almost there?" she asked, using her normal tones again.

"Yes."

There was a pause.

"Will we get there in time?"

"I do not know."

"Where will Jaken and I go?" Rin asked.

"You will stay far enough to escape any possible danger, but close enough so that we can reach you if the impossible occurs," he replied.

Kagome bit her lip. "We?" she echoed.

His shoulders stiffened slightly and there was another pause, longer this time. Finally, he turned his head slightly so that she could see one clouded eye. "You will stay at my side during the battle," the taiyoukai said. "You will serve as my eyes. For the rare instances that I will need such service."

The priestess smiled softly. "Of course."

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A/N: Sorry for the rollercoaster of emotions at the end there. It was difficult dealing with both Sesshoumaru's sudden disability and the urgency of their situation. Whew – it was kind of a work out.

If you're wondering about the chapter title, "The Apple", there are actually two meanings. The obvious one is Biblical – the snake tempted Eve to take the apple and Eve in turn tempted Adam, which led to the Fall and the expulsion of humans from Eden. (The forbidden fruit isn't actually identified in the Bible, but it's popularly referred to as an apple.) Sesshoumaru is obviously the one tempted here, by Kagome. He obviously had far more noble intentions when he suffered his injury though than Adam did when he ate the fruit.

That someone is "the apple of your eye" is a common saying. The other reference is more specifically to my favorite book in the world, _Jane Eyre_. In it, Mr. Rochester is blinded at the end and refers to Jane as "literally, the apple of his eye" because she guides him in his blindness. She's the only one that he happily allows to do so.

Well, I hope you liked it. Make sure you check out the fantastic fanart Youkai Yume and lazyjenny did for this story on Deviant Art (links at the top of the chapter)! Please review!


	26. Blood Blossom

A/N: WOW! There has been a small explosion of fan art for this story! I love it and all of you who do such beautiful work! My readers are the best! Here are the links to all the gorgeous art (remember to take out all the spaces first because FFN doesn't allow linking):

"The Once and Future Taiyoukai" by Youkai Yume – youkaiyume.deviantart. com/art/ The-Once-and-Future-Taiyoukai-78792060

"Kagome" by bottledart101 – bottledart101.deviantart. com/art/ Kagome-for-RosieB-s-ff-78954926

"Taiyoukai Love" by BornATiger-chan – bornatiger-chan.deviantart. com/art/ Taiyoukai-Love-79140970

"Owarinai Yume" by SesshyLovesMySinging – sesshylovesmysinging.deviantart. com/art/ Owarinai-Yume-SessKag-79499205

"Black and Silver" by Livewire07 – livewire07.deviantart. com/art/ Black-and-Silver-79597376

It's all so fabulous, isn't it? This story is practically a collaborative work with all this brilliant art!

If anyone has done something else on deviantART (or anywhere else!) for my stories I want to know! I have an account on dA now where you can find all these pictures favorited and where you can message me, although email, IM or reviews work just as well. I'm ReplicantAngel on the site (because someone else is already RosieB) and here's the link: http/ replicantangel.deviantart. com/

Kisses to all you artists out there!

As an additional but unrelated note before beginning this chapter, I was surprised to find that several people thought that chapter 25 was the final chapter. I scratched my head at that one. There was hardly finality to it. (When I said "the end" in the author's note, I was referring to the end of the chapter, not the end of the story.) Hmm. Well, I just wanted to assure everyone that I'm not into ambiguous endings. Believe me, when something is done, you'll know it! Okay? Fabulous. Cheers!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 26: Blood Blossom

The hanyou stepped into the field and surveyed the damage. Trees were flattened like blades of grass underfoot and blood dripped audibly from the few that still stood. Bodies of demons were strewn everywhere, split in half and showing their innards to the winter sun. The snow that had fallen earlier that morning was slush now, mixed with hot blood and colored pinkish brown.

It would all be acceptable – he would in fact revel in such destruction – if not for the fact that the scene only reminded him of his failure. For across the clearing, surrounded by the few survivors of his army, Inuyasha and his friends were safely ensconced in a dome of pink light.

But Kikyo would soon weaken, Naraku mused. Her barrier couldn't stand forever and once it fell, they would be defenseless. They were all injured in one form or fashion, after all. It should be easy once the purifying barrier was broken.

And yet, Inuyasha and his companions had a demonstrated talent for escaping such seemingly inescapable traps. The monk in particular – Naraku had lost count of how many times he had taken his poisonous insects into the Wind Tunnel and yet the houshi lived and would probably live again, if given the chance. At the moment, the hanyou could smell the traces of fever the saimyoushou had inflicted upon the monk.

The taijiya too, frequently escaped his grasp now that he thought upon it. She had once, after all, been his own minion – he knew how quickly the demon slayer's loyalties could change.

And nothing compared to the number of times Inuyasha had defeated his carefully laid plans or the numerous occasions Kikyo had simply ignored his seductions. 

So no, he would not consider this anything but a failure until they were all dead.

Kagura cleared her throat as she opened and closed her fan with one hand. "So we're just going to wait?" she drawled. "Couldn't we have done that from someplace else?" There was an edge of nervousness to her voice that no one but the holder of her heart could have detected. She had almost lost her life in the last encounter with Inuyasha – her gleeful malevolence had taken a beating in that fight. She was becoming tiresome these days without that flare of sarcastic hatred – even when she was plotting against him, she had been generally amusing, but not any longer. Naraku wondered when he should rid himself of her presence.

"It is unlikely that events will repeat themselves," Kanna said softly.

"This is something I wish to witness in person," he said, ignoring the pale girl's words.

"And if Sesshoumaru arrives?"

Naraku glanced at the wind witch and she gave him a stony stare in return that told him all that he needed to know. Perhaps he had been mistaken and it was her passion for the taiyoukai that had undone her joyfully destructive attitude. She had tangled with the dog demon far more often than he had ordered her to do so. "You can deal with him," he said.

Kagura's lip moved as if in protest, but she checked herself under his watchful gaze. "My point was that he is supposed to be dead. What if your little pet failed and Sesshoumaru shows up with his priestess?"

"You can deal with_both_ of them," Naraku said with a smirk. "Take Kohaku if you wish."

Kagura glanced at the slender young man standing nearby. They had once been allies – he had been the natural choice in her personal war against Naraku, given his own suffering under the hanyou's control. But after more than two years of failed attempts and several harsh punishments from Naraku, the boy had begun to avoid contact with her. They lived and breathed in close proximity, but the wind witch couldn't remember the last time they had exchanged actual words, other than the passing on of orders.

She had trusted him once, but now she was not so sure. His quiet seriousness was not something with which Kagura was comfortable any longer.

"Fine, but the kid better not get in my way," the wind witch sneered.

"Kohaku will let you work as you wish," Naraku replied. "He's only there to keep an eye on you." He smirked and began to move across the clearing.

Kagura shot a wide-eyed look towards the teenaged boy, but he did not look back and only followed Naraku.

The hanyou waved aside the few survivors of the battle and turned to the occupants of the dome. He was disappointed to see that Inuyasha was barely conscious and Kikyo was deep in meditation. Perhaps this would be a success, but it would not be a very satisfying one. Naraku was not beneath killing someone in his sleep, but it did lack the ability to gloat effectively.

He sighed inwardly. The only one looking at him clearly was that demon slayer, as she cradled the ailing monk.

"Naraku!" the taijiya snapped. "You're not going to win this, no matter what you think!"

The hanyou let his cool smugness reassert itself and he smirked. "Every single fighter you have except for yourself is either unable to stand or unconscious," he said, glancing at the still body of the wolf. He would let Kagura deal with him too, later – no sense in not finishing the fight as it had started four years ago. "Who are you relying upon? The child? A fire-cat?"

"Kagome will be here soon," Sango said. "And the others won't be down for as long as you think."

Naraku wasn't surprised at this reaction – he had heard it many times before. This was an old tradition between him and Inuyasha's gang. He turned away and glanced at the hulking, mute youkai nearby. "Wait until the barrier falls and then kill them all," he said.

"What?" Kagura asked. "No special treatment for Inuyasha or Kikyo?"

"I don't think the true challenge lies with either of them," Naraku said slowly, turning his eyes to the sky.

The wind witch glanced upwards. Above them, the unmistakable silhouette of a two-headed dragon was descending. "I guess you overestimated that pet of yours," she commented.

"I suppose so," Naraku replied with a quirk of his lips. "Still, if you and Kohaku die as well, I have other resources. So I won't concern myself too much."

The forest surrounding them was suddenly aglow with the red eyes of dozens of demons – more of Naraku's unending supply of mindless minions. Kagura closed her fan and tapped it against the side of her neck. "We'll all die if this is all that you have," she commented.

"All over for the hanyou if Naraku decides to fight," Kanna murmured.

Naraku smirked. "That's the sort of prediction that I prefer," he said.

"No doubt," Kagura murmured, watching Sesshoumaru and Kagome slide off the dragon's back some distance away.

The hanyou ignored the weakening wind witch – if all went well, he would be rid of two problems this day. "Let us greet our tardy guests," he suggested, moving forward.

The little miko – the one had so often snatched Inuyasha from the jaws of death – glared at him as he approached and leaned up to the taiyoukai, her lips moving against his ear. Naraku watched with interest. Sesshoumaru was staring straight at him, but the hanyou could see that something was wrong. The quickness and intensity were gone, as if he had suffered a severe blow to the head and had come away dazed.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, can it be that you've been injured? Aside from your existing handicap, of course," he said, nodding at the empty sleeve.

The taiyoukai growled low and loud, so that even the ground rumbled beneath their feet. "Whatever may seem to be a physical failing, I assure you that my determination to have you dead at my feet far outweighs it."

It was the way that his eyes did not move that struck the hanyou. He might be able to fool less observant youkai, but Naraku had lived this long and had thrived on deception only because he was the most observant of all his foes. Save Sesshoumaru. But that was all different now, he crowed inwardly. He couldn't _observe_ anything at all. "The dog is blind!" he announced.

A ripple of excitement went through his army. Even Kohaku and Kanna raised their heads in curiosity. Kagura simply opened her fan and pursed her lips, appearing resigned to her fate and still wholly unconvinced that it would be a pleasant one. 

The miko and the taiyoukai did not react to the taunts of the army, nor did Naraku expect them to. But as soon as Kagura stepped forward to take the demon lord head on, he disappeared along with the miko.

"There!" called Kohaku, pointing behind them.

Naraku hadn't even seen the demon lord _move_ and yet he was now flying over the apex of Kikyo's dome and dropping Kagome to safety beneath its surface. The taiyoukai turned mid-air, landed on the other side and faced the hanyou. "I have little patience for your posturing and games," he said, emphasizing his point by releasing his poison whip and slicing a nearby youkai into three neat pieces.

"Very well. Kagura?"

The wind witch shot a furious look at the hanyou, but twirled her open fan anyway. "Fine," she seethed. "Dance of blades!"

Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to draw Tokijin – his aura was enough to rebuff the pathetic attack. "I did not come to fight a minion," he said slowly.

"Dance of the dragon!" she cried with more force and even those within Kikyo's protective light had to crouch close to the ground against the winds. Bloodied snow sprayed upwards as the tornadoes traveled across the ground.

But the taiyoukai did not move, withstanding the force of Kagura's attack with Tokijin held upright in his claws. When the assault was over, he turned his head slightly to where he sensed Kikyo's purification powers pulsating. He could sense it weakening rapidly. "Kagome, how is my useless brother and the rest of your friends?" he asked with all the concern of someone inquiring about the weather.

"Inuyasha and Koga are both waking up," she replied in the same unhurried manner. "Miroku is still feverish, but at least he's talking sense now. Sango has a sprained ankle and the rest are fine."

Sesshoumaru nodded and easily spun Tokijin in his hand. Naraku was beginning to get annnoyed. The youkai that had survived the fight with Inuyasha were already slinking away and he sensed a distinct lack of enthusiasm from the reserves he had called. Kagura's fan was closed and she looked at him expectantly. "A dog is most dangerous when wounded," she said simply.

Naraku frowned – Sesshoumaru was not just dangerous, but _motivated_. The way that the taiyoukai moved spoke of a new strength that was not the same lackadaisical power that Sesshoumaru usually exuded. He normally terrified onlookers, but this was defeat without a fight! What could have changed since the last time he had spied upon the taiyoukai?

The hanyou's eyes moved away from the dog demon and immediately fell upon the girl. He sneered at her as he realized everything. Like father, like son, apparently. "Watch them," he ordered and turned away, walking to the center of the clearing. When he looked back, Sesshoumaru had not moved. The young miko appeared anxious, leaning towards the taiyoukai within the confines of Kikyo's protection.

His theory was confirmed. His customary smirk crept across his lips as he called out to the taiyoukai. "If you do not wish to fight a minion, then you will fight me instead. As you requested."

The dog demon did not hesitate. Naraku did not watch him but the miko – Sesshoumaru could hide anything but the girl was easily read. He expected exactly what he had seen so much of from the miko – concern, faith and all those other emotions that Naraku so detested.

Instead, he got pain. It was barely there, but the way she paled and the sudden shiver that took her body was unmistakable. 

He glanced back at the taiyoukai and saw the strength draining from him, replaced by the deliberate movement Naraku was accustomed to. 

And although he had warned himself against such a feeling, Naraku's chest filled with the pleasure of inevitable victory.

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Inside the dome of pink, purifying light, Kagome stood up. The pain was terrible, but more worrisome was the expression that Naraku wore. "He knows," she whispered to herself, her heartbeat accelerating.

She moved towards the perimeter but a strong hand held her back. Inuyasha was leaning heavily on a sheathed Tetsusaiga and she could see where his fire rat had torn away – what she had previously assumed was the red of the cloth Kagome now saw was his own blood running down his torso. His skin had been ripped clean away. "Inuyasha! You shouldn't be standing," she cried, taking his arm and trying to guide him back down to the ground.

He pushed her away. "I've been through worse," he said and she trembled as the white of his ribs appeared and disappeared with his breath. "You'll look worse than me if you go after that bastard though." It wasn't clear if he was talking about his brother or Naraku.

"He's in pain without me," she whispered. "I have to be with him. He's blind, Inuyasha."

The hanyou gave her a steady look. "He'll be fine," he replied, just as there was a grind of metal against metal. Kagome turned to see Naraku and Sesshoumaru locked in a deadly embrace, their swords twisting together.

"Inuyasha…"

Now he trembling too and turning pale. "In a few moments, this barrier will go down. I can barely stand and look at the rest of us. You're the only one in decent shape that isn't a kid or a fire-cat."

To punctuate his argument, Kikyo let out a soft cry behind him and the barrier shuddered. The youkai around them immediately pressed in towards them and Sesshoumaru was obscured from her view – there would be no reaching him now.

If she died, so would Sesshoumaru. Kagome's little mouth set itself into a line and she dove around the hanyou and took up Kikyo's bow and arrows. The elder miko would need time to restore her powers after such a drain and the younger miko was the only other decent archer – powers or not.

Slinging the quiver over her shoulder, she surveyed the others. "Kirara, get Miroku and Shippo out of here. Don't worry, Inuyasha," she said, stopping a protest before it began. "I know better than to ask _you_ to leave. But Miroku has had it. Sango, can you fight? Koga?"

"As long as I don't put too much pressure on my foot," Sango said, gesturing to her tightly bound ankle.

Koga, still slightly dazed from a hard knock on the skull, nodded dazedly. "Wherever you lead, Kagome," he said, grinning sloppily.

The young miko nodded and looked down at her hip where Tenseiga once again rested. Sesshoumaru had insisted and now she put her trust into it. "Let me know if you feel the need for that little trick again," she murmured to the blade.

She drew an arrow and nocked it. Choosing the largest youkai, she aimed directly for its heart, moving as it moved and waited.

The barrier died with a sigh, the pink light dropping down and disappearing like a sheet of water slipping off of glass. It wasn't gone before Kagome released her arrow and found her target. The beast roared and stumbled but did not fall. 

"She doesn't have her powers, you fools!" screamed Kagura over the sudden rush of noise. "Kill them already!"

Kagome fired another before the words were out of the wind witch's mouth and the arrow buried itself deeply into the youkai's large blood-red eye. It cried out again and tumbled backwards, flailing until the ground stopped it with a sickening crack.

Tetsusaiga was drawn beside her and the miko turned to see Inuyasha standing defensively over the prone body of Kikyo, who was breathing shallowly. Kagome turned the other way where Sango was pushing Miroku's body onto Kirara's back. "Kikyo too!" she called.

She fired a couple ill-aimed arrows as Inuyasha and Sango struggled to drag the undead priestess onto the fire-cat. Kagome cursed as another arrow sailed at least three feet wide of her target. At least it was keeping them back. On the other side of the rescue party, she heard Koga's punches and kicks landing on an unfortunate enemy and the groan of its defeat. 

Her body recoiled as she felt a blow hit her own side and she gasped. Nothing was close enough to hurt her though. It was Sesshoumaru's injury and his pain. Kagome shook it – and the companion feeling of guilt that she was not at his side – off and turned to see Kirara lifting her passengers to safety. Inuyasha and Sango turned to the enemies that surrounded them.

Now each of them faced a cardinal direction – Koga to the north, Sango to the east, Inuyasha to the south and Kagome to the west and to Sesshoumaru. She felt another ghostly glancing blow to her temple and the urgency within her rose to a fever pitch. 

With a demonic yell, she loosed another arrow, planting it directly into the forehead of the closest youkai. She did not look to see it fall, but turned to another, drawing Tenseiga.

"Are you crazy, wench?" cried Inuyasha, his Wind Scar leaving devastation before him, only for it to be filled with living demons once again. Naraku's reinforcements had regained their heart. "That thing's useless!"

But Inuyasha was wrong. Tenseiga was humming in her hand and its sheath was made from the same wood as Tetsusaiga's. Kagome slung the bow over her shoulder as the youkai pressed in on her and separated the blade from its scabbard. A monstrous bear demon charged her, its claws extended.

"Kagome!"

She saw it sweeping its paw towards her with surprising clarity. The blade that was not meant to draw blade was driven in between the sensitive pads of its claws. The bear yowled and tried to pull away, but Kagome came with it, holding onto one razor-sharp claw and driving Tenseiga into the fleshy underside again and again. 

When it started to carry her too far afield, Kagome leapt off and brought a powerful blow to the bear's gut with the dull blade. It curled in on itself, holding its injured paw close to its chest and closing its eyes tightly.

That was the fatal mistake – although it shut its eyes for just a moment, the bear's large black eyes opened in time to see a short tanto blade screaming towards the center of its iris.

Kagome frowned as blood and the clear gel from the inner eye – the vitreous humor, she recalled, in a rare recollection of biology class – spilled out over her arm. But she did not pause in shoving the blade deeper, until she heard a crunch of bone and felt the softness of brain.

The bear youkai slumped forward and she turned to face the next youkai when Sango yelled something that sounded suspiciously like a warning.

And then she was flying through the air, hooked upon the claws of the demon that she had shot previously – the shaft and fletching still protruded from between its eyes. It shouldn't be alive, she thought dully, and yet it had its talons buried so deeply into her shoulder and side that she knew they had gone straight through.

She was tossed some fifty feet before she skidded along the hard crust of the snow, leaving a trail of bright red blood behind her. "Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha, but he was grappling with two large blue-skinned youkai and he could not come to her side. She couldn't see the other two.

Kagome had been thrown clear of the center knot of fighting, but a few of the quicker witted youkai realized wounded prey was nearby and turned to face her. Dimly, she heard Sesshoumaru calling her name, his voice pained. He was _very_ aware of what was happening.

Sango burst through the line with Inuyasha in tow. "Kagome!" she screamed. "Get up!"

Kagura was flying overhead, yelling for the taijiya and hanyou to be blocked and for the miko to be slaughtered. It took Kagome a moment to realize that it was her death that the wind witch called for.

She rolled to her side and pressed her good hand into the dirty snow, lifting herself up off the ground. Blood didn't drip but _poured_ down her shoulder and breast as she got to her feet. Vertigo took hold and she stumbled, her face turning down to see the streak of blood that she had left with her fall. 

So much blood. Everywhere. And it was hers, she realized, her mind moving through a fog of incomprehension.

The pressure on her heart softened and she turned instinctively. Sesshoumaru! He had broken away from his long-awaited fight with Naraku to come to her aid. He cut through the youkai with increasing ease – despite the mortal wound they both felt reverberating through their bodies, their hearts warmed as he drew closer and it gave them both strength.

"Kagome. A barrier," he said simply, coming near.

She nodded and sank down onto her knees, bringing him with her. As soon as they touched, the second barrier of the morning appeared. It shimmered listlessly as it enclosed them both. It was weak and would not last long, but the taiyoukai ignored this for the moment.

"You are injured," Sesshoumaru said, drawing away from their exhausted embrace. "Severely," he added, feeling unstemmed flow of blood over his fingers. He removed his inner kimono, leaving him bare-chested, and ripped the already filthy cloth into strips. Kagome watched, feeling as if his hands were moving in slow motion as the makeshift bandages were tied around her.

She had three wounds, two of which had caught her directly in the shoulder and above the breast. The third was a nasty graze on her ribs. Sesshoumaru growled as he worked swiftly, ignoring the corresponding pain in his own shoulder. He would find the demon with Kagome's blood on its claws and kill him in the slowest, most painful way possible. 

"Am I dying?"

He moved his sightless eyes to her face. "No. Do not be ridiculous."

She smiled softly and sagged back onto her feet. "I was moving like a demon out there," she murmured. "You'd be impressed."

"You moved like a demon against the cobra. I was already impressed," he said. He had felt the thrill of her movements in his soul, despite the beating he had been receiving from Naraku. Without his sight, the taiyoukai had to admit he was nearly evenly matched with the detestable hanyou. With his concern for Kagome at the periphery of his senses, his abilities were impaired beyond that.

Now she was dying. His keen ears could hear the gurgle of a punctured lung. He had lied to her, but he couldn't imagine that the truth would help matters. Kagome would only worry about him, after all, and how he would die alongside of her.

She should be dead already, he realized, tying the last of the strips of cloth. That fall alone should have broken her back. He had felt the jarring impact as if he had suffered it himself.

But he wouldn't have broken his back. His youkai bones were stronger. And his healing abilities were unsurpassable. His fingers splayed across the bandages and he did not feel blood seeping through – they were dry. Clots should not have formed so quickly.

Not in a human.

"Kagome," he said, "you _were _moving like a demon. Like this Sesshoumaru would move."

"Mmm?"

"This insufferable bond is good for something," he continued. "It allows my abilities to pass to you." He paused and frowned, thinking of the pain and the drain on his strength when he was parted from his semi-mate. "As long as I am close to you. Kagome, how long can you keep this barrier standing?"

Brown eyes fluttered open. "Hmm? I dunno. A few minutes?"

"No," he demanded, shaking her slightly. "Longer. You will hold it longer than that. You will need several before you are strong enough to take yourself off this battlefield."

She gave him a glazed look. "Not far from you."

"Far from me," he affirmed. "So that you may heal in peace while I destroy Naraku."

"Well, that's very optimistic for you, Sesshoumaru," drawled the very hanyou. He circled the tiny dome of pink light and examined its two occupants. "The miko has killed two of my best soldiers. Do you think that I will let her leave?"

"Let her leave and you will have me," he replied. "But I assure you that you will lose the satisfaction of killing me if you harm her further."

Naraku frowned. "I'm afraid I don't do exchanges. Especially when killing one problematic demon will kill a problematic miko as well. I might as well keep you both and watch you _both_ die."

Sesshoumaru face contorted, but did not manage to utter a word before experiencing another assault. Kagome drew in a sharp breath and the barrier flickered. The taiyoukai reached out with his senses, but could not detect anything that had not been there before. "Kagome, what is happening?"

The miko opened her eyes and flinched at the harsh light. She thought it was the sunlight, but quickly saw that the source was far too close. "Kanna's mirror!" she breathed, blinking as the silver disc reflected pink light back into her eyes. "It's absorbing the barrier's power!"

"No. Concentrate, Kagome!"

But the barrier shattered like glass and Kagome was immediately pulled away. Sesshoumaru sprang to his feet, Tokijin appearing his hand once again. Naraku beckoned to his strongest companions. "Keep them apart!" he ordered. "Kagura, pin the miko to the ground using stakes if you have to, but keep her alive. For now."

Kagome screamed as Naraku charged the taiyoukai, driving him back again. Her wounds tore open again as she was thrown to the ground and the ache in her heart returned vengefully. Her powers had receded once again and her one good arm was not enough to fend off the cluster of youkai trapping her against the cold, hard earth. She cried out Sesshoumaru's name as she struggled, but the demonic auras were pressing down on her so hard that she felt suffocated and lost her breath.

"Inuyasha!" she finally yelled.

"Kagome!" came the response, sounding farther off than expected.

Twisting her head, Kagome could see Sesshoumaru battling not just Naraku, but a good portion of his remaining troops. The poison whip coiled and snapped, but new demons seemed to be born in their dead comrades' places. The taiyoukai was losing ground against all of them together, especially when Naraku's own barrier kept him safe. It was one against certain defeat.

Kagome battled against the claws that trapped her, but they held fast and Inuyasha's yells were still far off.

Then suddenly, the youkai scattered. Kagura yelled after them half-heartedly, then took the feather from her hair, grabbed Kanna and flew up into the sky. As she disappeared into the clouds, Kagome felt a wave of crackling energy wash over her and she struggled to sit up.

Kikyo was walking out from the shadows of the trees, her dark eyes fixed upon her reincarnation.

Her stomach flipped with nausea as she stood up. "Kikyo?"

"If you want to live, you need to return to Sesshoumaru's side," said the undead woman, eyeing the bloodstains that were blossoming on Kagome's bandages. She noted the continued confusion on the younger miko's face. "I will assist the others," she added, pointedly ignoring the question Kagome wished to ask.

Kagome bit her lip and nodded, turning to find Sesshoumaru and resolving to study the matter of _Kikyo_ saving her at another time. He was across the field with scores of demons between them. Kagome took a steadying breath and picked up Tenseiga – the only thing that had come along with her for her harrowing journey through the air. She tried to keep in mind that it was Sesshoumaru that Naraku wanted to kill personally and hoped that his minions knew that.

She moved as quickly as she could through the corpses but it was difficult moving with such a grievous injury. Sesshoumaru's short presence had temporarily relieved the pain and the dizzying blood loss, but beads of red liquid were forming on the outside of her bandages and trickling down her front now. It wouldn't be long until the wound was fatal again.

And so Kagura was the least welcome sight at that moment.

The wind witch floated down to the ground some distance away and opened her fan. She was alone now, having dropped Kanna off at some safe distance. Kagome wrapped her hands around Tenseiga. "I thought you left."

"If I did that, Naraku would kill me," Kagura replied.

"Doesn't matter. We're going to win this. If you leave, I won't tell anyone you've lived."

The sorceress's eyes widened minutely. "Forgive me if I don't find you very assuring," she replied at last, glancing at the red bandages as Kikyo had done moments before. "Sesshoumaru is losing as we speak."

"He won't, once I get to him," Kagome asserted.

Kagura flipped her fan casually and the corpses at the miko's feet began to stir. "I won't be the one that kills you," she said softly.

The young priestess didn't have the strength for a fight, even if it was not to the death, but she couldn't do anything less – she lifted Tenseiga as the dead bodies of demons drew up and hovered above the ground.

They rose and formed a wall around her, thick and impenetrable. But Kagome tried. She ignored the way her heartbeat pulsated in her eyes, weakening and becoming irregular. She slashed and hacked at the corpses. Pieces of flesh fell away but the wall would simply reform, tighter and closer in. 

Kagura stood nearby, just on the other side of the wall of bodies. She didn't orchestrate an attack – not one dead limb fell upon Kagome in a violent way. It was simply a barrier. After awhile, when Kagome had made some progress, the flesh that had fallen to the ground reattached itself to the bodies. But that was all the wind witch did.

And yet, her body ached and she was losing blood. Her vision blurred and the pain was so sharp and so clear that Kagome wasn't sure any longer if it was her own pain or that of Sesshoumaru. If only she could _see_, she thought.

The miko tucked Tenseiga into her torn, battered obi and frowned at the wall of quiet, mindless corpses that did not raise a phantom finger to her. It was a disgusting task that she had to do, but it was the only way. She had to escape and she was sure, from the detached expression on Kagura's face, that the sorceress would hesitate to react. But Kagome would have to act quickly, because eventually, the wind witch would be driven by her own need to live and pin her down once more.

She reached out and took hold of the dead flesh, her own skin crawling immediately. Corpses were something a miko in this time must get accustomed to, but this was animated flesh. It was like touching Kikyo and that was something that even Inuyasha rarely did. If it felt like this, Kagome could not blame him.

She found a foothold in a crease of a body and lifted her weight up. The wall was easily fifteen feet high and Kagome had to force her eyes to remain open as she grabbed again – the jet black hair of a very humanoid pink-skinned youkai. It was difficult climbing because of the softness of the flesh and the way it vibrated with false life. She almost fell several times because of her own weakening limbs, weaker than the dead ones she held onto.

Kagome achieved the top of the barrier, her hands reaching over the edge. Her eyes found Sesshoumaru as soon as she was able – he was fighting alongside Inuyasha now. Neither of them looked very healthy though. They kept giving ground, unable to break Naraku's barrier. Kagome wondered for just a moment why Inuyasha didn't use the Red Tetsusaiga to break it.

Then she saw Kohaku being dangled in front of Naraku, unconscious and vulnerable. In the distance, she heard Sango calling for her brother.

Was it her pause, listening to her best friend cry for her sibling that condemned her? She wasn't certain, but Sesshoumaru sensed her escape in that moment and made the foolish, tired mistake of turning his head towards her.

Naraku saw it and turned as well. His blood red eyes found her immediately. "Kagura!" he yelled.

And then the wall of corpses fell, tumbling beneath her and then over her. Hands, dead and bloated with the damp snow, grabbed at her. Tails wrapped around her and pulled her deeply into the mass. Claws pricked her and drew fresh, living blood. She cried out in alarm and disgust.

She could still see him though – Sesshoumaru was falling to his knees and although nothing had touched him, blood burst from his chest. Three wounds, identical in shape, size and location to her own. Kagome watched and knew that the same blood that flowed from him was now flowing from her. Bodies crushed her. Her wounds were opening wider and no longer clotting in the slightest.

And although she was dying, only one thought crossed her mind – that he was going to perish because she had been selfish and stubborn and had refused to give him up, when that was the only thing he had ever asked from her. She had wanted a chance to force him to fall in love with her all over again and it wasn't fair to either of them. He had the feelings of a young demon again, welling up within his older, wiser heart. And she had missed him terribly and demanded that the present Sesshoumaru be like the old.

For all that, he would die. If not for her, he would be the strong taiyoukai that she had always seen. He would have won this day.

The bodies were falling into her line of sight now, blocking her vision. Her last image would be of Naraku's army bearing down on Sesshoumaru as he knelt, helpless, in the middle of a snowy field.

She cried, thick tears spilling out immediately as if she had been holding onto them all of her life for this precise moment, just to show everyone what true sadness meant. 

And then she whispered, as the last body fell to block her sight and as the first youkai was about to sink its fangs into Sesshoumaru's body, 

"I revoke you, Sesshoumaru."

The bodies continued to press down on her. For one more moment, the sounds of battle grated upon her ears.

And then, she felt and heard nothing. She was in dense blackness. Her spine had been crushed, she thought. That was why she didn't feel anything. Death was approaching, and Kagome could only hope that she had spoken in time and that the terrible pallbearers of the underworld would only take one soul and not two.

She took comfort in the image that suddenly filled the black space – the image of Sesshoumaru rising, tossing aside his attackers and having Naraku step back with genuine fear.

And as she imagined it, it became sharper and more realistic than any dream she had ever had. Pink light surrounded her and the bodies fell away, crumbling beneath her feet. She had strong feet again, firmly planted on the ground. And the strong feet were only one part of a strong, healthy body that stood straight and tall and suffered no pain anymore. Her hair – long and returned to its former glory – swept over her shoulder and curled in the wind.

Kagome heard her name cried out, over and over in surprise and joy. She realized that the voices were clear and crisp and familiar – the voices of her friends. And the icy wind at her back was _real_, as was the snow underneath her feet that crunched as she moved. And the look on the faces of Naraku's army as they turned and looked at the living miko drove it home completely. Her mind rejoined her body and she smiled, spreading out her glowing hands.

She was alive and her powers had returned, healing her completely.

"Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru's cry shook her from her pleased reverie. He was standing and healthy too – the image in her mind's eye had been real too. The blood from his wounds was dripping away from pristine skin. And he looked angrily at Naraku, who was so struck by the shift in fortune that Kohaku dropped to the ground, released from his hold.

"Inuyasha!" the taiyoukai growled again. The hanyou snapped his head away from staring at Kagome and Tetsusaiga glowed red-hot in his hands. As soon as Sango retrieved her brother – done as quick as lightening – he raised the sword against the awestruck hanyou.

The barrier shattered. Naraku came back to himself too and raised his sword. But he was going to flee – Kagome could see that.

A bow was pressed into her hands and she drew the arrow. "Both of you!" she shouted needlessly, for they saw her and sensed her and knew what to do.

The arrow erupted into a comet of pink light. It was met by the golden ragged stripes of the Wind Scar and the curved red gleam of Tokijin. 

Even if Naraku had tried to flee in that instant, he could not have escaped the magnitude of power thrown at him by the combined attacks of the two brothers and the young miko. The tail of the arrow's light curled around, capturing the youkai aggressors inside a sphere as Tetsusaiga and Tokijin's attacks rattled around, the proverbial rhinos in the youkai china shop. The vicious hanyou and the army at his back were obliterated. The light caught Naraku's shards as they fell to the ground – the only proof that an army had stood there at all.

There was a pause and nobody said a word. Then, Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and walked over to where the shards lay in the snow, not touching them. "He's dead," he said, turning slowly to the others, and although he didn't smile, his eyes were wide and happy.

Koga let out a yell and then they were all talking at once. Sango was alternately hugging Kohaku and Miroku – Kagome wondered vaguely when he had rejoined the fight – while Inuyasha chattered to Kikyo. Shippo, Rin and Jaken burst from the woods a few moments later, whooping and making Jaken grouse. Another yell erupted from the monk's throat after he and Sango together ripped away his prayer beads to find a perfect, whole hand.

But the initial bliss wore down faster than it should have as they all turned towards the only two silent parties. 

Kagome lifted her eyes and found herself staring into two perfect golden orbs. She stumbled towards him, her lack of grace telling them all that it was still her, despite the light that still seemed to radiate from her. Even in her tattered kimono, she glowed. She was at last a true miko.

She dropped the bow somewhere along the way before he caught her. And although he could see again – now she would never tire of looking at his bright, seeing eyes – he closed them and buried his nose in her hair. It took her a moment, but she pulled away from his embrace, her hands running up the stripes on his wrists and along his two perfect arms.

"Two. Two," she repeated, touching his twin hands, palms, forearms and shoulders. She looked back up into his eyes and smiled the brilliant smile that had done him in three hundred years previous. "Two!"

His two hands came up to her face, brushing along the planes of her cheeks. He almost smiled himself.

But then, at once, both of their expressions fell. They backed away from each other and stood several feet apart, stiff and formal.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I had to. You were going to die if I didn't do it."

Sesshoumaru didn't say a word. His brow furrowed only slightly as he looked down with his bright new eyes to his fresh new hand. There was no cry of joy as there had been for Miroku. She knew without asking that he was thinking that it would be better if he had never regained his arm or his sight at all, if only she hadn't revoked him. She knew, because she felt the same about her own life. They would have died, but they would have died constant and unwavering to one another.

"I was afraid," she said. Afraid of giving up her life, even if it meant their bond would last eternally. Afraid that he wouldn't succeed unless she ended it. But that part was added silently and for his benefit alone.

Long moments stretched out. "Come, Rin," he said at last. He turned and began to walk away, with a confused girl, Jaken and Ah-Un in tow. The pain was no longer physical as they separated.

"We could…"

He looked at her over her shoulder and she fell silent again. No, they couldn't. That had been their one chance – a situation that was forced upon them. He would not _choose_ to bind himself to her. Not again. It was different this time. This time they were both aware of the consequences and thinking clearly. No, he wouldn't allow it to happen again.

Inuyasha tried to step forward, tried to call out to his brother with some rude epithet, but Kikyo silenced him with a touch. Kagome watched until Sesshoumaru disappeared into the tress and then simply scooped up Naraku's shards – now the Shikon no Tama only missed three pieces. She would deal with them later.

"Where's Kagura?" Koga said, to break the silence, but also because he truly wanted to know. Naraku had been the judge but she had been the executioner and the wolf would not forgive her.

But Kagome shook her head. "She left," she said with certainty. The wind witch wouldn't have allowed herself to die in that explosion of purifying power. "With Kanna. We won't see her again. Don't go looking, Koga."

He hesitated, but nodded and silence reigned again for some time.

"What do we do now?" Shippo murmured.

"We protect the Jewel," said Kikyo. It was the first time any of them had heard her speak softly, gently. "And we go home."

"There's still stuff to do. Demons to kill, people to help," added Inuyasha, giving Kagome a careful glance out of the corner of his eye. "At least, that's what I'm going to do."

Kagome looked at the hanyou and gave him a weak smile. They had won. Yes, it was time to go home. "May we join you?" she asked.

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A/N: Okay. Very long chapter, and WAY packed with action. But I really like how this one turned out. It's not what I originally planned – I think it's better. I know you're all pretty close to killing me, but this chapter is NOT the end! Haha. Stay tuned. And please review!

And remember to go and look at all the wonderful artwork readers did for this story!


	27. Admission

A/N: This story was voted the best Romance: Other of 2007 by the Inuyasha Fan Guild!! I went rather giddy at that – I was surprised to say the least. Thank you to the IYFG and all that voted/nominated/rooted for this story!

I've also uploaded all chapters to my account, ReplicantAngel, on deviantART. Remember, I have a folder for all the fabulous fanart done for this story under "Favorites". There's even MORE there now – mainly because I'm the luckiest author in the world to have such talented readers! Here's the links to the ones you haven't seen yet (remember to take out the spaces!):

"Taiyoukai" by Jixiani – jixiani.deviantart. com/art/ Taiyoukai-79976050

"Owarinai Yume Collab" by cdabroom (the colored version of "Owarinai Yume by SesshyLovesMySinging) – cdabroom.deviantart. com/art/ Owarinai-Yume-Collab-80704975

"TO+FY: Two" by roomservice – roomservice.deviantart. com/art/ TO-FY-Two-81118656

"Two Lovers" by Sesshomaru38401 – sesshomaru38401.deviantart. com/art/ Two-lovers-81458392

"Kagome" by Skei-dei – skei-idei.deviantart. com/art/ Kagome-81046896

Thank you so much, all of you!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 27: Admission

She held Tenseiga in her lap, her fingers curling over the edge. Her heart thrummed painfully in her chest and she bent forward, trying to catch her breath.

He left. He left! How could he do something so cruel as to turn his back on her? Didn't he understand that she had done it to save their lives? Not just their own lives, but the lives of her friends and his companions. Naraku would have laid waste if he had won that battle – no one else could stand up to him.

It wasn't fair, she ranted silently. He would have done the same!

She took a deep, gulping breath and stared up at the black sky, spotted with stars. They blurred and she felt tears running down her face. It was the first time she had cried since he had walked away from her several hours before. It was almost comforting, feeling something other than pain and anger.

Kagome sobbed for several cleansing minutes until the tears wouldn't come anymore. She cried for so long, so earnestly that her skin smelled of salt and her fresh kimono was spattered with stains. As the crying ebbed, she slowly wiped Tenseiga's blade clean of the droplets and sheathed it, putting it aside.

There came a soft breath from behind her. "Geez. I was afraid you'd never put the sword away."

She turned. "Inuyasha," she said, getting to her feet, "you shouldn't be walking around!"

The hanyou rolled his eyes and patted his bandaged side, where the skin had been ripped clean away earlier in the day. "Come on, Kagome, you know I'm fine," he said. "How are you?"

Kagome rubbed at her eyes and nodded. "I'll be alright," she murmured. "You should rest though. I saw your internal organs today, for crying out loud."

"Keh. Wasn't the first time and it might not be the last." He shuffled over to her and eased himself down to the rock where she had been sitting. "Sit," he ordered, giving her a cheeky smirk.

She slowly sat down beside him. "So are you okay?" she murmured, searching his face and his smile. "You don't seem to be… yourself."

"I'm _happy_," he replied. "Happy for the first time in a long time, Kagome."

She nodded. "Of course. I'm happy for you."

Inuyasha's eyes dimmed a bit as he watched her. "Well, maybe not completely happy," he said. "Kagome…"

The miko squeezed her eyes shut and held up a hand. "Inuyasha, if you're going to apologize for what happened... Well, I just don't want to talk about it. You said some awful things and you sided with Kikyo, but that was no reason for me to turn my back on you. I'm sorry."

He sighed. "Figures that you would apologize for what was my fault." He frowned as she turned away. "Kagome, we gotta talk about it. If we don't, we'll never be okay again."

She smiled sadly at the ground. "That's very mature of you, Inuyasha."

"Yeah well," he said, coloring slightly, "I had some time to think while you were gone. I figure I have to tell you some of it, because you're too stubborn to believe it from anyone else but me."

Kagome bit her lip. "Alright," she said, after a moment. "Tell me."

He didn't speak immediately, the red on his cheeks glowing brightly for a long moment first. When he did say something, she couldn't catch it and asked that he repeat himself. "I missed you," he said with a little more force. "I missed you a lot, Kagome."

The corners of her mouth twitched. "I missed you too, Inuyasha."

But he kept talking right over her. "And I know you do a lot for us. You cook and take care of us and you make Shippo behave and Sango happy and Miroku hopeful. And you were friends with me when I didn't think that could happen anymore. Kikyo couldn't do any of that, even if she tried. I shouldn't have sent you away, Kagome."

She had thought that she had wrung herself dry, but found her vision smudging once more with tears. "It's okay," she murmured. "It was my choice. I shouldn't have left you. We've been traveling together so long and you've saved me so many times. It wasn't fair of me. I accepted a long time ago that you love Kikyo."

"I don't know what I feel for her," he muttered. "Before, she came and then she left, just for a few minutes to remind me that she was around or to tell me something about Naraku. But being alone with her, just for a few days… she's changed a lot. I didn't notice before."

"I suppose death and resurrection can change people," Kagome said, wiping her eyes again.

He looked at her, wide-eyed. "Did it change you?"

She was silent for a moment, rubbing the tips of her fingers together until her tears dried. "Yes, but perhaps only because of the circumstances. But Kikyo didn't have a peaceful death either. You couldn't expect her to be the same."

He nodded. "Still, I'm not sure…"

"Sure of what?" she asked.

"I know Kikyo did that," he murmured. "She tried to stop you from coming here anymore. I believe you, Kagome. If you want me to send her away, I will."

The miko frowned and mulled this over for a moment. "No, Inuyasha," she said at last. "I mean, thank you, but you don't have to do that. Anything she says to me, anything she does to me, doesn't matter anymore. She doesn't matter anymore. Not to me. I was so worried for so long what she thought of me, but then I realized that that was ridiculous. The only people who I care think well of me are my friends and my family. She's not either one of those."

He gave her a skeptical glance. "Are you sure it doesn't matter to you?"

She smiled softly. "Well, maybe a little. She is this powerful miko and my previous incarnation. It's hard to brush it off so easily. And she did help me this morning. She saved my life, you know, and she was the one that handed me the arrow that killed Naraku."

Inuyasha took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Death didn't change you that much then, if you can still forgive her."

"I'm not sure 'forgive' is the right word," Kagome said. "But it's more important that she stay here."

He gave her a sharp look. "Why's that?"

"I keep waiting for her to see how much the rest of us need you. And how much it would hurt us all if she dragged you into hell with her." She glanced at his surprised expression. "Did you really think that just because we haven't been getting along lately that I ever wanted you to do that?"

"I made a promise."

She shook her head. "No, you said that she died because of you and for that, you had to go with her. But that was ages ago, long before we knew that it was all Naraku's fault. And he's dead. He's the one in hell, Inuyasha. Neither of you belong there."

"Why didn't you ever say something before?"

Kagome let out a sigh. "I have! Every moment of every day, we have all been trying to show you that nothing is worth dying!" She paused. "Well, maybe that hair demon wasn't the best example of a full and healthy life, but you get the idea. But what could any of us do? When the woman you love asks you to die with her, there's no way to avoid it."

Inuyasha furrowed one brow. "If there's no way to avoid it, why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to prove me wrong," she said. "Believe me, the greatest show of love is wanting that person alive and with you at all costs."

The hanyou gave her a level glance. "You really love that bastard then?" he asked.

"I wasn't necessarily talking about Sesshoumaru," she murmured, tilting her head away.

"That's crap," Inuyasha replied. He sighed at her silence and arranged himself more comfortably on the rock. "I never heard about it, you know. Start from the beginning."

Kagome's brown eyes turned back towards him. "Are you sure? I have more reasons you should live and not go to hell. Better reasons."

The ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Hey, I spilled my guts to you," he countered.

She nodded in agreement. "Fair's fair," she said. "Okay, just remember you asked for it."

He leaned back on his palms. "Go for it."

"Well, I was coming back here to give you a piece of my mind when I noticed the trip was taking longer than usual…"

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Miroku rubbed his thumb over the palm of his hand repeatedly, looking over the fire and into the dark forest where they had disappeared. The pure joy that had accompanied his release from his curse was now transforming into deep, unmovable worry. Sango was out there right now, having a long overdue conversation with her little brother. And although he knew she was careful and powerful, he couldn't escape one pervasive thought – that if she _were _in trouble, he now had no way to save her.

Well, he had his sutras and his fighting skills and even unusually strong stamina, but no Wind Tunnel. Without it, he was free, but he was also weak. His eyes strayed to his other companions around the fire. Kikyo, Koga, Kirara and even Shippo – they all had, or would soon have, power that far outstripped his own. And his own abilities would only diminish – once he took Sango as his wife, he would no longer be a monk and no longer have his holy powers.

He sighed, his thumb digging into his palm harder than necessary. He only stopped when Koga sat down heavily beside him, long after Inuyasha had disappeared to find Kagome.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" the wolf muttered.

Miroku gave him a quick glance and let his hands drop into his lap. "I am not sure what you mean, Lord Koga."

The demon pulled up one knee and touched his shin. "Lived with them for years now," he said, tapping his claw against his skin. A quiet clinking noise told the monk that that was where the jewel shard resided. "I almost forget what it's like to be only as fast as everyone else. It'll be hard to go back to it."

"I am sure it will, but the Jewel must be completed."

The wolf nodded. "Yeah, I don't mind as much as I thought. I mean, it's for Kagome, right? This is what she needs to do and I wouldn't stand in her way, even if she's not my woman anymore."

Miroku had never thought he would hear such a statement from the wolf and drew back slightly. "She's not?"

"Sesshoumaru isn't that much of an idiot," Koga said. He paused and frowned. "Well, I hope he's not. Either way, she's made herself clear. I can take a hint, you know," he added, smiling at the houshi.

"You still have your demonic abilities," said Miroku.

Koga nodded. "True, but I'd do it even if I became a weak mortal, you know?"

"It's worth it for the love you still have for Kagome," the monk supplied.

"And for getting rid of that Naraku." He leaned forward and with two quick, subtle movements the jewel shards were free. They fell into his hand and he looked at them. "Not that I'm totally happy with it. Getting rid of him means getting rid of what's a part of me now. I knew what I was getting into though. I guess I should be pleased she let me keep them this long."

Koga held out his hand and tipped the two shards into the monk's palm. "Here you go. Someone else should hold onto them for a bit. I'm still a demon after all," he said, flashing one fang in a half-smile.

The monk glanced at the two pink shards in his hand, lying right on his perfect, whole skin. "Thank you," he said, knowing the wolf would understand exactly what he was thanking him for.

"No problem," Koga said with a grin.

Sango reemerged from the forest, laughing with her brother, who wore a shy smile of his own. The demon slayer's brown eyes, filled with the true joy Miroku had only seen on scant occasions before, turned immediately to the monk and brightened. The wolf stood up slowly to make room. "You're kind of an idiot," he commented.

Miroku nodded as he stared at Sango. "I'm not sure what I was thinking."

"Easy. You weren't," laughed the wolf, moving away.

The taijiya approached, looking after the demon. "What were you two talking about?" she asked with a smile.

"Nothing," Miroku replied, grinning broadly as she sat down beside him. He could feel the warmth of her body through his robes. Kohaku sat down a short ways away. "Did you two have a good talk?"

"I've invited Kohaku to live with… well, with us," the demon slayer said, blushing prettily. "When we're married."

"But my sister said that she did not discuss it with you," Kohaku said, his large eyes moving to the monk. "I don't want to intrude."

Miroku's grin had spread to the point that it was almost painful – he almost missed what Kohaku had said in favor of savoring what Sango had so quietly admitted. She would soon be his wife. Of course, they had been planning on this for quiet awhile, but to hear it from her own lips with such a happy color in her cheeks and after Naraku had been destroyed – it was as close to heaven as he could get on earth. After a moment though, he realized both of them were looking at him earnestly for an answer. "What? Oh, of course!" he said hurriedly. "Sango and I would love to have you stay with us. I would not dream of splitting you up after such a reunion."

Sango smiled again, her eyes not moving from her betrothed's face. "Thank you, Miroku," she murmured.

He bowed his head. "Of course, my dearest Sango," he said. "May I ask for one thing in return?"

The taijiya nodded, the smile still hovering on her lips. "What is it?"

"I ask that both you and your brother teach me the finer points of demon slaying," he said.

Sango blinked and looked over at her brother, and then at the wolf demon, who was wearing an odd little smirk. She glanced back at the monk once Kohaku had given his silent assent. Miroku took her hand and she ran her fingers over his palm lovingly. When her eyes moved up his arm and his robes, the confusion evaporated.

"Of course," she said warmly. "We'll teach you everything we know."

"Then the tradition will carry on," Miroku said.

Sango leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. And for once, the monk behaved – his arm remained at his side, letting his fingers entwine with hers. The camp fell into peaceable silence until Inuyasha and Kagome reappeared some time later.

"Everything go alright?" Miroku asked, opening his eyes as Sango lifted her head.

"Yup," Kagome replied. "I told Inuyasha the whole story."

"Could have done without some of it," the hanyou muttered, his ears flattening against his head.

Kagome smiled in an easy way that told their companions more than words could do. Miroku and Sango let out a soft, simultaneous breath. "Wonderful," the taijiya commented.

The miko nodded. "Where's Shippo?"

"Sacked out awhile ago," the wolf said, gesturing to the little lump in Kagome's sleeping bag.

"Yeah, like he had a hard day," Inuyasha muttered, crossing his arms. "Little twerp."

Kagome shook her head. "Inuyasha, come on. We're all together again."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay," he said, letting the matter drop for once. The monk and slayer exchanged a surprised but pleased look.

"The monk's got my shards, Kagome," Koga said, just as the miko was about to sit down again.

She stopped and turned. "Koga! Really? Thank you! I didn't expect…"

"Not much good unless it has all of the pieces, right?" the wolf said, gesturing to the pink orb that hung around her neck on a chain. "Well, now you can finish it."

Miroku froze just as he was about to give over the two shards. Kagome's eyes grew wide as well as they all looked towards Kohaku.

"Oh," Koga murmured, his nose twitching as the tension spiked. "Uh…"

"Shut up, wolf," Inuyasha growled. He walked over to the teenager and looked at both of the siblings. "Don't suppose you talked about this?"

The smile that Sango had worn since returning to Miroku's side had faded completely. "Maybe… well, we thought Kikyo could help," she said softly. She blushed as the hanyou continued to look at her. "Well, I thought that. We didn't really talk about it at all."

Inuyasha turned to look at the priestess. She had been in deep, restorative meditation since they had made camp. He personally suspected that her command not to disturb her until morning was excessive – she probably didn't want a part of the jubilance at Naraku's death. He licked his dry lips. "Well, we can ask her in the morning," he said.

Kohaku shrugged. "If it will complete the Jewel and get rid of it…"

"No," interrupted Sango. "Don't even finish that thought! We'll figure it out." She turned to Miroku, who shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sorry, Sango, but I know just as much as you do about the Jewel."

"We'll just have to ask Kikyo in the morning," said Inuyasha flatly.

"Or we could ask the witch," Kagome murmured.

Sango turned towards her friend. "Do you think she would help?" she asked.

The miko was taken aback at the desperation in the taijiya's eyes. "I don't know," she said. "It was just an idea. We're pretty close though – a day or so perhaps, if I can remember exactly where it was. I think that if she can, she'll help."

"And we always have the Tenseiga," Miroku observed, nodding towards the blade at Kagome's hip.

Hope swelled within Sango's eyes. Kagome took a step backwards. "I don't know how to use it. Inuyasha?"

The hanyou blinked his golden eyes. "I doubt it's anything like the Wind Scar," he said. "I wouldn't want to mess it up. No way."

"Then we would need Lord Sesshoumaru," Sango murmured.

Kohaku frowned – his sister had filled him in on the goings on between the youkai lord and the young miko, although the scene on the battlefield that morning had left little mystery to the situation. "Maybe I should go alone to ask him, if it comes to that," he suggested. "He saved my life once and I'm friends with Rin. As much as you can be friends with someone you've been ordered to kill."

"He does anything for that kid if she asks," Inuyasha muttered. "Maybe we should let him."

Kagome shook her head. "No. I don't want to send Kohaku off to find him. Sesshoumaru can just come and get the damn sword himself, if he wants it." The others watched as she paused and took a calming breath. "There's no hurry to completing the Jewel after all. I don't know what will happen, after all, and I don't want any surprises. Going to the witch would be best – we can ask about that too."

There was a long silence as they looked at Kohaku and his grief-stricken sister. No one wanted to consider what would happen if there was no answer to this most unique of problems.

Inuyasha finally nodded. "Right. Well, if we're going to be getting into the mountains tomorrow, we should rest. I'll take first watch," he said, moving towards a tree that would serve as his watchtower.

The fire flickered low over the logs as they prepared for bed. Except for a few subdued good-nights, they didn't say a word.

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The valley teemed with life. They joined several other travelers and pilgrims on the road, walking past the rows of huts lining each side. Kagome listened in interest as an old man captured the attention of several children with the tale of a terrifying snow-white demon that was tamed by a powerful priestess. She passed by just as he had gotten to the part where the miko commanded the lightening to stop itself in the sky as she descended the mountain with her youkai lover.

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the last word from the old man's lips as Miroku let out a loud laugh and Kagome's cheeks burned. "It wasn't like that!" she muttered, coloring a deeper shade of red when they walked by several stalls full of crude dolls and paintings clearly meant to be her and Sesshoumaru. It seemed that Midoriko's life and adventures had spawned its own, separate cottage industry. But it was clear that the favorite tale, particularly of young girls, was the one of the priestess and her demon. Shippo bought a little picture with money Miroku slipped to him and sat happily on Kagome's shoulder admiring it.

"He's not that tall," the fox said. "And you're not that short. Unless… is he supposed to be in his demon form?" He squinted and put the painting an inch from his nose. "What are you two _doing_?" he added.

Kagome so resembled a tomato that many street vendors were offering her hats to shade her from the dangerous sun. Miroku almost had to be dragged through the streets he was laughing so hard.

But Kagome still couldn't help but be pleased at seeing the prosperous valley. They had truly recovered – and, although she would never admit it aloud, she was happy that her travels with Sesshoumaru had contributed to such prosperity.

They followed the flow of travelers through the valley and through the mountain pass. There was a small temple at its mouth where many pilgrims stopped for blessings and one of these joined them on their way through the narrow pass.

"Going to see the witch?" he asked, grinning at them and putting a hand through his disheveled peppery hair.

"No, just going through," Inuyasha replied.

The man clucked his tongue. "Dangerous road, dangerous road," he murmured.

"It looks fairly well-traveled to me," said Kagome.

"This part, sure," said the man, "but beyond the witch's place? Not many people go there except the most determined of merchants. Pays off, of course, but very dangerous."

Inuyasha tucked his hands into his sleeves. "We'll manage," he said.

"Still, might want to stop and ask the witch for some help," the man said. "Can't hurt."

"I'm surprised that so many would go to a woman they believe is a witch," said Kikyo. "And I have never seen a temple advocating such a pilgrimage." She had been skeptical of the whole idea since they had presented it to her the previous morning – a witch helping them? They had forgotten that it was a witch that had brought her into this tortured renewed existence.

The man laughed. "Oh, she's not _really_ a witch," he said. "Just seems like one. Never ages, they say, but beautiful as the stars. That's why most people go to see her, tell the truth. She doesn't always show up, but she does often enough – at sunset, usually. Just looking at her face makes you lucky. So they say, anyway."

"You've never been here before?" Kagome asked.

He shook his head. "No. My father and older brothers went a long time ago. They all had good crops for years. I figure that I would go and ask for a son." He grinned as Miroku received several sidelong looks. "I got eight daughters. Nothing like wanting a son that will get you girls. Not that I mind too much, but I'll need help on the farm soon enough."

"Good luck with that," Miroku said weakly.

The path widened out and the pilgrim waved before walking on ahead. Kagome slowed down until he was out of sight. Inuyasha turned to her soon enough. "Come on, Kagome. What're you waiting for?"

She shook her head. "Not that way," she murmured, taking a sharp right off the road. The others followed behind.

"What you doing? Where are we going?" Inuyasha growled.

Small rocks slipped underneath her shoes as she found her footing and began to climb. "It's not that way," she said over her shoulder. "It's this way."

Koga scratched the nape of his neck. "No offense, Kagome, but we seem to have gotten a bit off track. Everyone else is going the other way. Are you sure about this? I mean, how many witches are there in these mountains?"

She continued climbing until she found what looked like a narrow trail used by wild animals. "Here it is," she whispered, touching it. "This is the old path. This is the real way to the witch. I walked this path three hundred years ago with Midoriko and Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha frowned for a moment. "Fine," he said. "We'll go this way. But who is that witch then?" He pointed back behind them where they saw the road winding further into the mountain range.

"I don't know. Not Lady Hoshiko though," she replied. "When I met her, it was the first time she had seen someone other than her assistant in ages. I don't think she's the type to start advertising her presence."

"Well, how long does this go on?" he asked.

Kagome frowned and tapped her chin. "I don't remember actually. I just remember it being a rather pleasant walk."

But as they climbed, they found it wasn't a pleasant walk at all. Natural barriers had sprung up where there had been clear land before – thick stands of trees, wide streams full of slippery rocks and fallen boulders were everywhere. Nothing easily stood in the way of the determined bunch, especially with Koga, Inuyasha and Kirara to carry them on occasion, but it was very frustrating.

And yet as they went on and the others got increasingly tired and cranky, Kagome cheered considerably. She had more energy in her limbs than any of them and it was Koga that had to convince her to stop for lunch.

The sun was setting as Kagome insisted that they continue.

"Kirara is tired, Kagome. We can go on tomorrow," Sango said, yawning. "Like you said, no rush, right?"

"Please, just to that ridge. This isn't a good place to camp anyway," Kagome replied. "I have to keep going."

Koga rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up. It wasn't snowing in these mountains, but he could feel a storm approaching. "That ridge?" he said, pointing almost directly above them.

"It's not as far as it looks," Kagome promised. "Would you at least take me?"

Inuyasha frowned. "No, we'll all go," he said. "This really isn't a good place to sleep."

"There's a plateau up there," the miko said. "I promise. There are steps too… somewhere." She squinted in the failing light but could not find the stone steps that were cut into this last part of the path.

The wolf sighed. "Okay, I'll take you and the fox," he said, gesturing to Kohaku. "Mutt-face, get the miko. Can the cat go that far with the three of you?"

Sango nodded. "Sure, as long as we stop there," she said, rolling her shoulders.

Koga scooped up the girl, waited for the kitsune to climb aboard and began to jump from rock to rock, up the steep incline. It wasn't far, as she said, but much more dangerous than it looked. His sure footing was the only thing that kept them from tumbling down the cliff – he almost wished for the shards back so that he was as confident in his strides as Kagome seemed to be. She kept her face turned up to the ledge, barely breathing and her heart beating rapidly against her ribs. She was transfixed.

He came over the edge and found an empty plateau, just as Kagome had promised. He set her down and led her away from the edge. Inuyasha and Kirara followed close behind with their passengers. The fire-cat transformed to her small form as soon as the humans climbed off her back, jumping into Sango's arms for a well-deserved sleep.

Inuyasha scanned the place with his sharp eyes. "Looks pretty good. We'll make camp here." He frowned as the young miko began to walk away. "Kagome, stay here. You're going to fall off the edge if you wander around like that."

"There used to be a waterfall here," she murmured, looking at a blank rock face. "It was a magic barrier. There should at least be a cave."

Koga crossed his arms and came to her side. "So, we're on the wrong mountain?" he muttered.

"No, this is the right one," she said firmly. "This is where I need to be."

The wolf let out a soft sigh. "Well, we're all pretty tired, Kagome. Let's rest and then in the morning we'll figure it out."

The sun dipped below the horizon and they were bathed in the gray of twilight. Kagome walked across the plateau towards the rock face and laid a hand on the stone, just where the waterfall should have been. "It's warm," she said.

"It was in the sun for a long time today," said Sango, a frown creasing the corners of her mouth.

"No, it's warm with magic," Kagome insisted. She splayed her hands out and pushed. "It's just an illusion!"

Inuyasha came to her side. "Kagome, it's rock. Let's just rest already."

But the miko ignored him. "Let me in!" she called, slamming her open palm against the stone and wincing. "Please!"

"Kagome…"

She shook her head. "You don't understand."

His ears flicked forward. "Sure, I do. We all want to find the witch. And we will. Tomorrow."

"No," she said. She sighed heavily and turned to him, her back against the cliff. "My brain feels like it's going to explode, Inuyasha. I need to get in there."

"You in pain again?" the hanyou asked.

"No," she murmured, her eyes closing. "I don't know. I guess I'm just anxious for answers to a few questions of my own."

Kagome settled against the rock as the hanyou and wolf exchanged a look. Just as they were about to coax her back to her sleeping bag and the fire that would soon start, her eyes flew open and she fell backwards into the cave mouth that sprang open behind her. She landed on her back gracelessly with a soft cry.

"Well, that's one question of yours answered," Inuyasha said.

Koga, who was moving forward to help Kagome to her feet, stopped mid-stride. "And there's another," he muttered, looking past the girl.

Kagome tilted her head back against the ground and found two golden eyes staring down at her. One perfect clawed hand extended and pulled her to her feet.

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A/N: I know, I'm mean. But think of it this way – in two or three chapters you will know everything that you want to know. Yup, kids, this baby is finally almost done. It's kind of difficult to believe actually. Oh, and no hints, so stop asking! Haha.

Please review! Thanks so much!


	28. The Garden's Fruit

A/N: Okaaaaaay. Well, I have two items of news that definitely fall within the 'bad' category and one that falls within the 'great' category. Personally, I like my bad news first so, here it is:

First, I know that a lot of you were expecting this chapter WAY earlier than this. I wish I could have accommodated that, but unfortunately my computer went kaput. Well, actually the hard drive did, which meant that I lost the first (nearly complete) version of this chapter. I also lost my outline of this entire story (thank goodness I know it by heart). There's a good news element to even this though - from now on, I'll be the queen of backing up my files so this doesn't happen again. Live and learn, I suppose.

Second, SingleSpark is shutting down. I know that a lot of you knew this already, but for those of you that didn't - there ya go, now you do. It will be in read-only mode in a couple months. This story should be long done by that point (barring any other mysterious computer plus brand new external hard drive failures) but obviously, I won't be posting any more stories on that site. There's a new Sess/Kag site that's gone up to replace SingleSpark called Dokuga but I'm not going to immediately start posting there. We'll see what happens. I will, of course, continue to post on deviantART and FFN.

However, the GREAT news is that SingleSpark still held their yearly awards, the votes for the 2007 awards are in and this fic almost swept the categories it was nominated for!

First Place - Best AU  
First Place - Best Romance/Fluff/WAFF  
Second Place - Best Action/Adventure  
First Place - Best Kagome Portrayal  
First Place - Best Sesshoumaru Portrayal  
First Place - Best Overall Fanfic (!!)

This is AMAZING, especially considering the wonderful stories this fic was up against (good Lord, the stories it was up against! I'm flattered and humbled that I'm in that sort of company!). Thank you so, so, SO much!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 28: The Garden's Fruit

Her fingers wrapped around his wrist, holding him close to her as her eyes slowly took in the familiar figure. She had known who it was the moment he had touched her and yet her gaze could not move up beyond the red hexagonal pattern on his collar. She had been so eager to see him again, and yet, she realized now that she was also terrified. As she paused, his grip tightened around her own wrist, his claws pressing into her skin.

"Kagome! How good to see you again!" The feminine voice broke his hold and he released her as the witch appeared at Kagome's side. She smiled gently as the miko turned. "I suppose it has only been a short time for you though, since you seem to have solved our little Time and Fate problem."

"Uh yes," murmured Kagome, bowing clumsily. "It's always nice to see you, Lady Hoshiko."

The witch stepped closer and took the miko's arm, steering her back out of the cave. "And you've brought friends this time. I would be honored to receive an introduction."

"Oh, of course," Kagome replied softly. She gestured to each of her companions in turn. "This is Inuyasha, Koga, Kikyo, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Shippo and Kirara. Everyone, this is Lady Hoshiko. She's the one that told me how to get back here."

Inuyasha's golden eyes widened as the witch moved towards him. "Inuyasha, it is wonderful to meet you at last. Everyone on this island owes you their thanks for defeating Naraku." She bowed her own head as the hanyou swallowed, his eyes becoming the size of dinner plates. "So, thank you from this one humble inhabitant. Thank you to all of you," she added, looking over the others.

"Uhhh, I just... I mean, Kagome did most of it," Inuyasha stuttered after a moment. "She beat him with... with whatever she did."

Hoshiko smiled, her eyes shining. "Is that so?"

Kagome blushed as the witch looked back at her - she knew that Hoshiko was aware of exactly what had happened on that battlefield. She knew more than any of them. "We all fought him," the miko murmured.

The witch nodded and gestured to the cave. "Well, any role in the demise of Naraku, whether small or large, earns you the right to enter my home as honored guests. You must spend the night, of course. It's getting quite cold out here."

"Are you sure we won't be imposing?" Sango asked.

"Of course not. We expected you," Hoshiko replied, her smile broadening. "Ami spent the morning preparing for your arrival."

"Where is Ami?" Kagome asked, glancing around for the precocious girl.

The witch smiled and waved towards the mountainous horizon. "She'll return quite soon. Sometimes the pilgrims keep her past sunset."

"She meets the pilgrims? The ones we met on the path?"

"You know that my own contact with pilgrims has been minimal," Hoshiko said.

"But they think she's the witch, not you," Kagome said, thinking of the man on the road who was asking for a son. "What happened?"

Hoshiko nodded. "Well, after you left, the villagers began to come here more often to ask for my help. There were so many on the treacherous path up this mountain that accidents were happening every day. Villagers were falling, breaking bones, or they were being carried off by demons inside the thick forest. So we changed things. A new home was set up right off of the main road where sentinels can easily watch over the pilgrims. Ami goes every day to minister to their needs, to give blessings and, for those that need more than just advice, she mixes potions and performs simple spells. Over time, they forgot that there was another woman in these mountains. My more complicated skills have never been required." She shrugged and gave a soft smile. "I find that teaching Ami is far more rewarding than using her as my mouthpiece. She can take care of herself these days."

"I guess she's grown up," Kagome said.

The witch laughed. "I don't think you'll recognize her. We will see." She pointed towards the sky, where an orb of blue light was traversing the valley between the peaks.

"That's her?" Shippo asked, his eyes widening. He had been looking forward to meeting the young hanyou girl that Kagome had described. "You have to be a really powerful demon to travel like that."

Kagome nodded. "It's been three hundred years, Shippo."

The blue light arrived at the edge of the plateau, expanding and stretching into the shape of a young woman. When the glow faded, Kagome saw that Ami had indeed grown up - although not nearly as beautiful as the witch, she was now taller than even Sango and had kept the exotic wisdom in her eyes that stretched far beyond her visible age. She bowed immediately to Hoshiko and Sesshoumaru before looking at Kagome and bending once again. "Lady Kagome, I'm pleased you were able to make it," she said softly.

"It's nice to see you again, Ami," replied the miko. "You've changed."

"So have you," replied the young woman, smiling.

Hoshiko beckoned to her assistant. "Now that you're home, we should all get inside. It will snow tonight," she said.

Kagome glanced up at the clear, cold sky where the stars were beginning to shine. "Are you..."

"Lady Kagome," Ami interrupted gently, taking her arm, "I have wanted to hear about Naraku's defeat for some time now. Will you honor me with the story?"

"Haven't you heard about it from Lady Hoshiko?" asked the miko, as she was led back towards the cave mouth.

The young hanyou shrugged. "The visions my lady sees in her mind can tell quite a different tale than what you have seen with your own eyes."

They entered the cave where Sesshoumaru still stood in its shadows. Kagome kept her eyes on the ground, lifting the front hem of her kimono with her free hand as if she were concerned about tripping in the dark. Just as she was about to pass the silent taiyoukai, however, her gaze flickered upwards to his face - it was as if the eyes in her own head were not her own for a moment.

She almost fell back into Ami at the seething anger she found in his expression. His creased forehead, a deadly sneer and flashing golden eyes made a jack-o-lantern of his face in the low light. She half expected him to reach out and grab her by the throat, and when he didn't, she let out an audible sigh.

"Are you alright, Lady Kagome?" Ami asked quietly.

"What? Oh. Yes, I'm fine," she replied, trying to shake her head clear. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Kagome bent her head close to Ami and the taller girl stooped down. "When we came here last time, Sesshoumaru wasn't allowed inside the cave. Now he is. I don't want to question Lady Hoshiko's judgment but..." She paused and frowned. "That's not sounding right at all. I don't mean that demons shouldn't be allowed inside, just that Sesshoumaru is, well, different than he used to be."

"Why was he not permitted inside three hundred years ago, when he was less cruel than he is now?" Ami suggested.

"Exactly," Kagome said, with a grateful smile.

"It is not something my lady decides," the hanyou said. She cast a sidelong glance at the miko. "But be assured that if the barrier allowed him through and allows him to remain, Lord Sesshoumaru is no danger to anyone."

Kagome colored at the gentle admonishment in Ami's voice. "So the barrier decides who can come in and who must stay out?" she asked.

"My lady has not always been a perfect judge of character as she is now," Ami replied. "The creator of the barrier was concerned that her youth and generosity would permit ill-intentioned youkai to enter the cavern. He was obliged to make the barrier decide for my mistress."

"He?" echoed the miko. "Do you mean Lady Hoshiko's mate?"

A small smile touched the hanyou's lips as she nodded. "Who else would care so much for the well-being of my lady?"

"Where is he? Does he ever come back?"

"Of course. He has not abandoned my mistress," Ami said. "As for where he is, I cannot guess. He walks the entire world over and, I suspect, between worlds as well. He can be anywhere he wishes in a moment, so great is his power."

"What does he do?" Kagome asked, a little breathless.

Ami's eyes were shining now, but swirled with colors quite different from the green phosphorescent moss that lit their way down the tunnel. "I do not know exactly," she said, "but the stories he tells when he comes to see my mistress put all other stories to shame. He has seen the great battles, met heroes, eaten with the gods themselves and conquered the most vile of monsters."

"Do you ever travel with him?" Not for the first time, the miko wondered if Ami was more than an assistant to the witch and her mate. The hanyou was certainly flush with the adoration that was usually given to a beloved parent.

"No, but then I have never asked," Ami said, glancing at the priestess. "But even if I do not ever accompany him, I finally have my own story to tell to him, one that might match any of his."

Kagome smiled. "How you're the witch now?" she suggested as they came to the large cavern at the end of the tunnel.

The hanyou laughed quietly. "No, it is a story in which I took only the smallest of roles." She nodded towards her companion. "Your story. Lord Sesshoumaru's story. Naraku's demise. I admit that that is the reason I wanted to hear your account."

"It's not that interesting," she murmured, her words faltering as Ami turned a surprised eye to her. "Well, it's just not the best story, perhaps."

"A girl traveling through time to defeat youkai and discover her own power? How is that not a fairy tale?"

"It doesn't have a very good ending," Kagome said flatly.

Ami gave her a long look and sighed quietly. "The best stories do not end," she replied, bowing and excusing herself.

Hoshiko immediately resumed her place at Kagome's side as Ami pushed aside the rock like a theater curtain. The copied sun was still setting over the artificial horizon inside and the cavern was suddenly glowing with its fiery hues. "Your companions are quite charming," the witch commented, laughing as Kagome's friends gaped at their first peek into the enchanted gardens.

The witch linked arms with the miko and quickly guided her inside, ahead of the others. "Ami, take care of our guests," Hoshiko called over her shoulder before taking Kagome down a path to their right.

Kagome twisted around to see the broad shoulders of the taiyoukai disappearing down a path to the left of the entrance. "So, call me crazy, but you're preventing me from talking to Sesshoumaru, aren't you?" she asked, as soon as they were out of sight. "I have a pretty good idea what he would say if we did have the chance, you know. You don't need to protect me."

"I am very well aware that you no longer need my protection, Kagome," said the witch. "I have only done this at Lord Sesshoumaru's request."

Her heart squeezed painfully within her chest. "He's the one that didn't want to talk to me?" she asked.

"Has Lord Sesshoumaru ever shied away from a confrontation?"

Kagome arched an eyebrow despite herself. "With an enemy, no. With me? Multiple times."

Hoshiko let out her clear, bell-like laugh. "I see. Well, in this particular case, I agreed to his request because I had to talk with you about a few things." The smile hovered at the edges of her mouth as they walked farther into the garden and through a grove of trees still heavy with ripe fruit, but she did not speak again until they came to a wall of stone. They had reached the edge of the garden, where the natural rock face sprung from the ground to sail upwards and over them. When Kagome looked up, however, she could see the stone fading into the artificial darkness of the twilight sky.

"Let's sit," suggested the witch, leading the miko to a large arbor, encrusted in ivy and morning glory vines, with a cushioned seat underneath it. Once settled, Hoshiko glanced at the girl. "To tell the truth, Kagome, I am surprised you are here at all."

"What? Why?" asked the miko. "I know the world and all of Time isn't at stake like last time, but my world is. I don't want to kill Kohaku just to complete the Jewel and I don't want to be sent back to my time permanently."

"And what if you do? What if you are?" Hoshiko asked. "Kohaku has already lived once when he should have died. And what do you have here that is so precious?"

"My friends!" Kagome cried, standing up. She stared for a moment at the blank, serene face of the witch. "I don't understand you! The last time I needed help, you did everything that you could for us. And now, you're just sitting there. Just because it's only my life that will be destroyed, why should that matter any less? I have sacrificed _everything_ for this damn Jewel and you're not helping me have the one thing I truly want! This isn't like you!"

The witch sighed. "Kagome, I am not as cruel as you think. I cannot just provide happiness to those that deserve it, just as I cannot strike down those that have done everything to deserve death. I am under the obligation of Fate and cannot tamper with it, unless to correct it as I did with you three hundred years ago. If you desire happiness, you are the only one that can provide it for yourself."

The miko sagged and fell back into her seat. "I know," she murmured. "I'm sorry. I guess I just thought that coming here would mean that everything would be fixed."

Hoshiko smiled. "It is still a possibility," she said. "The reason I am surprised at your visit is that it is well within your own power to solve your own problems."

Kagome frowned and leaned back against the bench. "I've been thinking about it constantly, but what can I do to save someone's life? How can I have the power to stop myself from being sent home, if Fate has decided that that's exactly where I should be going?"

"Fated to go home or not, I believe the only thing that matters is whether a certain dog demon cares to wait again," Hoshiko replied with an amused glance at Kagome's flushed cheeks. "And as to your first question, well, what can't the most powerful living miko do?"

"Kikyo? She doesn't know. We've asked her," Kagome said.

"Who said anything about Kikyo? I do believe I said _living_ miko," the witch corrected with a brilliant smile and a pointed look. Then she shrugged. "I suppose it's a distinction without a difference though."

The priestess felt slightly breathless. "I... how could I be more powerful than Kikyo?"

"How would you describe the magnitude of power that you displayed on that battlefield?" the witch asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know what that was."

"Not even a guess?"

The miko shrugged. "I just revoked Sesshoumaru. All of powers were gone when the bond was half-done, except when I was close to him. When the bond broke, I guess I just thought that it was all that power that had backed up getting released at once." She sighed heavily. "I never thought of it before, but it was so difficult to be without my powers. I don't know if I could ever give them up again. I guess that means that I'm staying single."

"You're assuming that just because your partial bond with Lord Sesshoumaru suppressed your powers, that any relationship would do the same?" Hoshiko asked.

"Well, miko are supposed to be unmarried." She laughed quietly without mirth. "To tell the truth, I don't know if I could be with someone _normal_ anyway, not after a taiyoukai. Not after that one."

"What if you're wrong?"

Kagome frowned slightly. "About wanting someone normal? I don't know. It's not something I can think about right now."

Hoshiko shook her head, her silky black hair now shining with the light of the stars. "No, no. I meant, what if you're wrong about your powers? About what happened?"

"Well, I'm not hearing any other likely possibilities," the miko said, sending an exasperated glance towards the witch.

"Alright," laughed Hoshiko. "Here's a possibility for you. The most powerful living miko would never lose her powers because of love. The most powerful living miko has such a big heart that she can hold fantastic levels of spiritual energy and have more than enough room for her beloved. That's the problem, you see, with most miko. If they love a man, they cannot hold onto their powers as well. It's one or the other. But unconditional love like you give, Kagome, is rare. Few people have that capacity and fewer miko than that."

She tapped her chin with mock thoughtfulness. "Now that I think of it, it's _possible_ that someone with such a heart would become even more powerful the moment she bonded with her mate. Especially if he was powerful in his own right and their strength fed one another." She smiled brilliantly at Kagome's pale face and gave her a shrug. "Just a possibility."

The miko shook her head. "No, but... but I revoked him. I said it and... and I revoked him," she stuttered.

Hoshiko laughed as she got to her feet. "Oh, Kagome. Words are nothing, meaningless." She looked up at the dark sky. "I take you as my mate. I would have no other," she murmured to herself, before turning back to Kagome. "Do you know how many demons - and humans - have said that over the ages? More than I can count in my lifetime. They're just words."

"I don't understand. They didn't mean anything?"

"They mean everything," Hoshiko replied, "but only because you put the meaning into them. The words themselves are nothing."

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Kagome looked to see Sesshoumaru walking down the path towards them, his golden eyes fixed upon her. "I don't know if I'm ready yet," she said, turning back to Hoshiko, only to find that the witch had disappeared.

She stood up slowly, one hand braced against the arbor, lifting her eyes to find his only when he came close. His expression was once more reserved and for some reason, this scared her all over again. "Hello," she managed to say after a moment. When he didn't reply, she took an unsteady step away from the arbor. "I'm going to go back to the others."

"No," he ordered, moving to block her path. His nostrils flared as she turned her head away. "Why will you not look at me?"

"Why won't you let me go back?" she countered, still averting her eyes. "We came here for help from Hoshiko, not to see you."

"It can wait."

"You don't know that."

He clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to shake the difficult girl. "The boy will die if you take out the shard, not if you let it remain," he said.

Her eyes, suddenly blazing, moved to meet his. "Have you been spying on us?" she hissed. "How did you know that?"

Sesshoumaru straightened his spine. "I do not spy. It is not difficult to deduce. The Jewel has only one shard missing. You too easily forget that I am still a demon. I can sense the shard in the boy and the fact that it sustains his life."

Her cheeks colored as the annoyance faded. "Right. Sorry," she murmured. She let out a soft sigh and went back to her seat, folding her hands in her lap. "Go ahead."

He remained where he was, standing still and straight, without saying a word. After a few moments, the miko sighed again. "Sesshoumaru, if you're not going to say anything..." She paused, taking a moment to consider the way his jaw twitched and the arch of his eyebrows. "Are you nervous?" she asked slowly, trying not to let her own jaw drop.

The taiyoukai took a deep breath and roused himself, crossing his arms and lifting his chin. "This Sesshoumaru never gets nervous," he said, pronouncing the word with distaste. "I simply seem to be having trouble finding a suitable way of expressing certain matters."

Kagome eyed him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright," she said. "Well, when you decide you've found suitable words to express yourself, just tell me." She began arranging herself more comfortably on the cushioned bench.

"There is no need to be patronizing," he growled as she moved on to examining the closed morning glory buds weaving through the arbor.

She rolled her eyes and let her hands drop back into her lap. "Fine. What do you want me to do? Make small talk?" she asked. She waved her arm mechanically at the sky. "Nice weather we're having, don't you think? I don't know if this counts, since it's artificial, but it is nice. Nicer than sleeping outside in a snow storm."

"Be quiet, you insufferable woman," he muttered, coming forward and sitting down beside her.

Kagome watched as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and felt a sharp pain in her heart. He looked so familiar in that position, and yet she knew it was not the taiyoukai in front of her that she was remembering. "I was wrong," she murmured, earning herself a sharp glance from the taiyoukai. "You have changed. All those things that you used to be have just become more pronounced. Prouder, colder, less talkative."

"I know," he replied shortly.

"I miss him."

He turned to look at her fully. The artificial moonlight was breaking through the arbor and decorating her skin and hair with slices of silver. He remembered the rainy afternoon they spent together in the cave and how he had come so close to admitting his feelings. "On occasion, I do as well," he said.

Kagome smiled sadly and nodded. "The thing is, as much as you might have changed, it's not in any way that matters. I still love you." She hesitated and licked her lips. "You, the present, here and now, Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai frowned. "It is impossible. I have tried to kill you on several occasions."

"Ditto," she murmured with a shrug. "But I don't think that what I did on that battlefield would have happened if I didn't love you as you are now."

Sesshoumaru sat in silence.

Tears beginning to drip down her cheeks, she plowed ahead with sudden energy. "I think that if you just gave me a chance that you'll feel the same way again. Then it won't matter that memories from three hundred years ago are fresher than memories from last week. I mean, I know that you didn't want this and that you probably came here to ask Hoshiko..." She lost her breath and trailed off, turning away. "To ask Hoshiko to break the bond," she finished.

His claws pricked her shoulder through her kimono as he forced her to look back at him. "That was not my purpose for coming to the witch!" he growled. "Why would you presume that?"

The miko stared at him for a moment. "You looked like you were about to kill me when I walked past you just an hour ago, when we arrived," she said. "You were so angry."

"Angry at myself," he said heatedly. "Angry that I had asked a female to speak with you instead of telling you myself! I did not know that we had completed the bond until the witch told me, only a short time before your own arrival."

Kagome sniffed and blinked away some of the tears. "So we really are mates, with an one hundred percent and totally complete bond? And you didn't ask her to break it?" she asked, her voice vibrating.

"Yes, we are truly mates," he replied. "And I did not ask her to break that bond."

She eased closer to him, biting at her lower lip. "Then, why did you come here?"

He was staring very intently at a small patch of ground as his jaw began to twitch again. Kagome waited quietly for some time and when he spoke at last, his voice was dry and low. "I came here, not because I thought there was a mating bond between us, but because I thought you had successfully revoked me," he said. "I requested advice from the witch. I wished to know if there was a way to take as a mate a female that has once revoked you."

Kagome's breath was quick and shallow as she leaned forward, her forehead resting against his temple so that her lips pressed up to his ear. "You... you wanted me as your mate?" she whispered. "Really?"

She felt, rather than saw, his eyes close at her touch. "The beginning of the ceremony was an exchange of words of devotion," he said. "It cannot be completed by only one mate, but both. You were not the only one to finish the binding spell on that battlefield."

Her warm breath floated down the side of his neck as she spoke. "What did you say?" she asked. "Please, Sesshoumaru," she added when he hesitated.

"I said the last words of the ceremony," he replied slowly.

"What are they?"

"For you, I will sacrifice my life and my power so that my life and my power sustain you," he said.

Her tears smudged against his cheek and into his hair as she pressed kisses to the curve of his jaw. "It did," she whispered. "Thank you."

"You are the one that returned my sight and my arm," he said, his breathing becoming slightly ragged. "I should be giving my thanks to you."

She smiled. "Maybe. I don't know. The power in that moment... the way it was surging through us both... for all I know, you used my spiritual powers to heal yourself," she said, her voice growing thick and her breath speeding up once again. She pressed one more kiss to his jaw.

When she began to pull away, the taiyoukai turned and suddenly pulled the miko into his lap, burying his nose into her neck. She gasped as she felt his fangs scrape over her skin. "Sesshoumaru!"

"I have never felt as powerful as I did in that moment," he growled against her throat.

Her eyes widened as her hands gripped at his shoulders. "Me neither."

"But do not trust that the combined strength that flows through our bond will save you every time," he continued, his fangs once again dragging across her flesh, making her shiver.

She nodded shakily. "Okay."

"Now that this Sesshoumaru has his mate..."

Kagome took his head between her hands and pulled away to look into his eyes. There was red mixing with the gold, but she smiled. "You don't want to lose me," she finished for him. "Don't worry, you won't."

His eyes moved to the side of her neck and the red disappeared as he inhaled deeply. "And yet, I have injured you." Kagome lifted her hand to feel the wetness of her own blood. "I should not have restrained myself so strongly earlier."

Her smile quickly reappeared. "I don't even feel it. And, just for the record, I wouldn't have minded if you had just grabbed me and kissed me when I first got here. You didn't need to restrain yourself at all," she said, one corner of her mouth tilting up into a smirk. She sobered quickly and took his new hand between her own. "This is really alright with you? You're not being chivalrous or anything?"

"I assure you that my interests are entirely selfish," he replied.

She pressed a kiss to his brow. "And what, exactly, made you decide that you wanted me after all? I mean, all that talk about you feeling only what your younger self felt, and how you would never feel that way. What happened to all that?"

The instinctive burst of possessiveness faded completely as he turned his eyes back to the ground. "Kagome..."

"You just have to say it once," she murmured. "You know that no one else need know that you admitted anything. I won't breathe a word."

He remained silent, his brow creased with uncharacteristic indecision and she shook her head. "No, wait. You came here, didn't you? Even if you don't know why, even if you can't admit it to yourself, I know. I shouldn't have asked you to admit anything. I'm sorry."

She leaned forward, resting her cheek on his shoulder and closing her eyes. When she relaxed against him, Sesshoumaru realized that she would not ask again. She was content and he suddenly was not. Once, when he was young, he had been willing to love her and admit that love if only they had not had their obligations driving them apart. Now that those responsibilities were removed, he could not admit anything. What strength had he had as a youth that he no longer possessed?

He would regain that lost strength. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and pulled her close as he lowered his lips to her ear. He spoke low enough so that even if anyone tried to eavesdrop, she was the only one that could hear him. "I wanted you to return to me," he began, "because I once believed that I could survive without happiness. I was wrong. My father was correct - I have something worth defending. If I am not defending her, I have no purpose."

Kagome sat up and gave him a small smile as her eyes sparkled with pleasure. Suddenly her lips touched his and he felt the discomfort of his admittance slip away. Her hands clutched at the back of his neck and at his collar and she let out a soft noise of contentment as he deepened the kiss and he once again tasted ginger and citrus, just as he had so many centuries ago. But it was not the same as it once was - it was not even the same as the kiss they shared a few days ago, when he had spared her life. He was kissing a mated female now - his own mate. There was a spiciness added that hadn't been there before and he recognized it as his own influence on her scent. Male pride in his choice of mate swelled up within his heart as they parted.

"Thank you for telling me," she said. He noted with appreciation the way her cheeks were flushed and how she blinked slowly, as if happily drugged. "That's all I ever wished for..." She paused, her eyes growing wide, regaining focus. "Sesshoumaru! I know what to do about the Jewel!"

She began to scramble out of his lap, but he easily held her back. "I admit such things, kiss you and you want to run off to my brother and your friends?" he asked, arching one brow at her.

The miko stopped cold and grinned up at the stars. "You have a point," she said. "And I bet they're all asleep already."

"It can wait until morning," he agreed.

She laughed as she fell back into his arms.

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"Where are they?" Sango pushed off from the railing and crossed the porch in four long strides to lean out over the other side. "I can't believe that all of them just disappeared. We should go look for them."

"If a witch doesn't want to be found, she won't be," Koga commented from his place on the steps. "Same goes for Kikyo. And I don't think you want to go looking for Kagome if she's with Sesshoumaru. He's not the forgiving type, especially if you're going to go and demand that she do what you want her to do."

"I'm not even sure what you want, Sango," Inuyasha added. "Your brother is fine right now. What if Kagome can't save him?"

Miroku frowned and stepped forward, between the slayer and hanyou, before his betrothed could react. "I don't believe that Sango is in any rush to change the circumstance of Kohaku being alive," said the monk. "She simply dislikes the suspense of waiting to see if Kagome has an answer at all, no matter what that answer might be."

The hanyou shrugged and turned to look out over the garden, which was glowing yellow in the dawn. "Where is the kid, anyway?"

"Inside, still asleep," Sango replied. "I don't know how he can sleep at all."

"He lived in Naraku's house," Miroku said. "This place is the safest place he has been in four years. He's been worried about whether he'll live or die for that long. Having the decision in the hands of someone trustworthy, like Kagome, must be a relief."

"Still," began Sango.

"There she is," Inuyasha said suddenly, his ears flicking forward.

They all looked to see the dark-haired miko and the pale taiyoukai at the edge of a grove, slowly wending their way back through the garden. "Did they make up?" Shippo asked, hopping up on the railing. "Are they friends again? She still has Tenseiga. And they're not holding hands or anything."

"I don't think that Lord Sesshoumaru does that," Miroku murmured, leaning forward himself. "The fact that she has Tenseiga is probably promising."

They watched as Kagome paused to bend over an opening bloom. Her lips moved as she chattered and the taiyoukai listened, replying in a few words. When the miko turned back to her path, her brilliant smile allowed them a sigh of relief. Sesshoumaru had his mask of indifference, but Kagome's expression told them all they needed to know. "They made up," Koga said with a grin. "Now we know why they took all night," he added, earning himself a glare from Sango and a sickened groan from Inuyasha.

The miko approached the hut still radiating joy. "Good morning," she chirped.

"Good morning, Kagome," said Miroku. "It seems congratulations are in order?"

She blushed prettily. "I suppose so. It's kind of a funny story actually." She caught sight of Sango and the smile faded. "Which you'll hear later. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Will my brother live?"

Kagome's eyes flickered over the others' faces and saw the same question. "Um, I hope so," she answered, "but I can't promise anything."

Sango gripped the railing, her knuckles turning white. "You can't do anything if you don't know for sure," she said.

The miko let out a little sigh, her former mood evaporating, as she walked towards the porch. "I'm fairly sure it will work, but I don't want you to think that I don't have any doubts. I just don't want you to get your hopes too high, Sango."

The taijiya shook her head. "No. You're not doing it unless you're completely confident."

"But that will never happen!" protested Kagome. "This is the best chance we've got."

Sango turned to the others when Kohaku appeared in the doorway. "You've got to let her do it, sister," he said, looking at her with his large brown eyes. "You aren't even giving her the chance to say what it is she's planning on doing."

"If she makes a mistake, you die," Sango said.

"I already died once," Kohaku replied with a shrug. "You survived."

"But I can't do it again."

The boy looked around at the others. Leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and his serious expression, he looked far older than his sixteen years. "So if you don't trust Kagome to do it, who do you trust?" he asked. He paused as Sango glanced about her helplessly. "You're just frightened, Sango."

She drew in a shaky breath. "Of course I am."

"I am too," he said. "But we fight while frightened all the time, right? So I still need to do this, even if we're afraid that it won't work."

Sango bit her lip and turned to the miko. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm going to remove the shard," Kagome said, eliciting a small strangled gasp from the taijiya. "And then, when the Jewel is complete, I'll use the wish to bring him back."

Inuyasha started. "Use the wish? But..."

"Do you still want to become a savage full-fledged youkai, little brother?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly, speaking for the first time. He stood behind Kagome, framing her with his form.

The hanyou frowned and fell back a step, his ears pinned to his head. "No," he murmured after a moment.

"Then remain silent. The Jewel is in Kagome's care alone," the taiyoukai replied, before lapsing into silence once more.

Kagome nodded at her mate and then looked back at Sango, still pale with fear. "I think it will work," she said. "The greatest danger is that it might not be an unselfish wish. But I can't think of any wish that wouldn't be selfish in some way. Tenseiga won't work and Hoshiko told me it was within my power to figure this out, so she can't help. I think this is the way it has to be."

"I'll do it," Kohaku said.

"Kohaku..."

He turned to his sister and smiled. "I think it will work too," he said. He gave her a quick hug that she desperately returned before handing her over to the monk and descending the stairs. "I'm ready."

Kagome glanced at Sango, trembling in Miroku's arms. "You can take another minute," she began.

"If I don't do this now, I might never have the strength to try again," Kohaku interrupted, a shot of his own fear going through his eyes. He turned and fell to his knees in front of the miko, bending his head forward. The shard's light blinked up at her as she pulled back his collar.

"Just," Kohaku added quietly, "don't let it last too long. If you can."

She nodded, squeezing his shoulder with her free hand. "I'm so sorry," she murmured, her heart beating rapidly. The tips of her warm fingers pressed down on the back of his neck and the boy heard everyone grow very still. Sesshoumaru stood at Kagome's side. Her fingers moved suddenly and quickly, the shard sliding from its place and into her palm. The strength seeped out of his limbs and he pitched forward into darkness, hearing his sister cry out his name and feeling someone catch him before losing all connection to the world.

Kagome stared down at the body that Sesshoumaru was lowering to the ground. A terrible pressure built up in her chest, making it feel as if it would burst. Sango's sobbing was deafening inside her head.

"Complete the Jewel," the taiyoukai said as he stood up again. "Quickly."

Her fumbling fingers grabbed the nearly complete Jewel from where it rested at her throat, snapping the cord that held it in place. The last remaining shard slid into place without a murmur of the power that the orb now contained. She held it for a moment, considering it - both the bane of her existence and the object that gave that same existence meaning. It had all led up to this moment.

She saw movement at the corner of her eye and she looked up to see the witch, Ami and Kikyo standing at the edge of the garden. Hoshiko was smiling softly. "Go ahead," she said.

Kagome wrapped her hands around the Jewel and pressed it to her heart. Her eyes slid closed and her lips moved as she made her silent wish.

It began slowly. Her hands began to glow with the light of the Shikon no Tama that she held, brighter and brighter until her grasp could not hold it any longer. It shone like a star, its light stretching out rapidly, touching everything. It covered the garden, speeding upwards and outwards until it hit the confines of the cavern. They were floating in a sea of pink light, wrapped in warmth. There was a delicate sound of chimes in the wind and, above that, the sound of a woman's light laughter and indecipherable words. In the middle of the nova of light, Kagome turned her head up to the sky to hear her old friend, Midoriko, as her soul finally left the earth.

The light at last receded, returning them to the crisp greens and blues of the early morning. Sango was the first to recover, running forward to her brother's body. "Kohaku!"

He pushed at the ground and rolled over, releasing a relieved breath, and Sango collapsed beside him, crying happily as the others cheered. The siblings embraced and Kohaku looked over his sister's shoulder to thank the miko. "Kagome?" he asked, pulling away from Sango to get to his feet.

Everyone looked at the young miko, sitting stunned, still with her hand over her heart. Sesshoumaru was kneeling beside her, shaking her gently and calling her name. She roused herself at last and gave her mate a small smile. "I'm sorry... I'm fine. I'm fine," she said.

"Don't worry," Hoshiko murmured from her place. "Just a side effect of having her complete soul once again."

There was a pregnant pause as her words sank in and then Inuyasha jumped from the porch and ran to Kikyo, who wore a similar dazed expression. He grabbed her hands. "You're warm," he said, his golden eyes widening. He touched her throat. "Your heart is beating!" He looked back at Kagome, his mouth slightly open.

The two miko regarded one another for a moment, until the elder miko finally found her voice. "You gave me life, another soul?" Kikyo asked, her eyes rippling with emotion faster than even a demon could comprehend. "After I closed the well against you?"

Kagome slowly got to her feet. "Why not? I wasn't going to save Kohaku and leave you to suffer, even if we haven't been the best of friends. I'm not like that," she said. Then, she shrugged and looked up at the taiyoukai. "Besides, I once forgave a priestess for actually killing me. I figure if I can get over that, I should be able to forgive you for accidentally sending me to a place where I met my mate."

"Whose soul does she have?" Inuyasha asked.

"Her own," Kagome said. "The Jewel had that kind of power and so I used it."

Kikyo bowed. "Thank you," she said.

"Thank you, Kagome," echoed Sango, hugging her brother again. "I'm sorry I was..."

"It's okay," interrupted the miko, holding up one hand. "I wouldn't have been that happy about it either, if it were my brother."

She watched as her friends fell back into celebration, gathering around both Kikyo and Kohaku. The elder miko was smiling - not mockingly or malevolently, but with true happiness. Inuyasha kept giving her long looks, his face etched with wonder. Koga was joking with Kohaku, making the young man laugh. Sango was leaning into Miroku with a dreamy expression on her face, nodding at Shippo's chatter. It was all so perfect and familiar. Kagome sighed and looked up at Sesshoumaru. "You will let me visit them, right? Even your brother?"

"Yes," he replied. Seeing her grin, he gave the correction she thought he had forgotten. "Half-brother."

She had to hold herself back from touching him as she laughed. "Alright. Where to now?" she asked.

He gave her a surprised glance and Kagome felt a trill of excitement that she was the only one that could possibly interpret such a cold look as surprise. "You do not wish to remain?"

"I'll see them all at the wedding," she replied, smiling broadly as Miroku dropped a kiss on Sango's forehead. "Besides, I've missed traveling with you."

"It has been mere weeks for you," he pointed out.

She nodded and then took his arm, unable to resist any longer. "And back then, I wanted to travel with you forever. Weeks is long enough. Where are we going to go?"

"Naraku has been defeated," he said. "We may go where you wish."

Kagome smiled. "Sounds like a plan." She glanced at the others, still engrossed in their elation. "How about my mother's?"

"Your mother," he repeated flatly.

"They should know," the miko said. "They should meet you."

He nodded - it was customary to meet a mate's family before the actual ceremony. They couldn't do anything about it now. He was keeping her. "Very well," he agreed. "Will the well allow us both to pass through?"

"Yup," she replied. "And it'll stay open too."

"How do you know this?"

Kagome shrugged. "I fixed Time. It owes me," she said.

Sesshoumaru's eyes swept over the others once more. "And the kitsune?"

She smiled and broke away from him. "He's coming with us, of course." She held up a hand, with her first finger extended. "Just a minute. Let me say goodbye to everyone real quick and we'll be with you, alright?"

He crossed his arms. "Woman, do you intend to upset every aspect of my once peaceful existence?"

"Of course," she replied confidently. "You need a little shaking up in your life. Just wait until we have kids of our own."

The thought stilled him. Children with Kagome? It was imperative that he have an heir of course, but it was more than that - his three hundred years of pain were over and Naraku was dead. He would take his father's place and raise a son or daughter of his own. Having a child with Kagome was the completion of what had been a grueling path and the start of a new, better one. The taiyoukai never found a thought more agreeable.

Until, of course, Kagome clasped her hands and whispered excitedly, "Oh! I hope they have ears like Inuyasha!"

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A/N: Whew. That was an endurance test. I'm not sure if it's better than my first version, but I don't think it's worse either. It's different and rather long (I originally planned two chapters but quickly realized the second would have been anticlimactic so it all went in one). I wish I could show both versions to you... but, the guys at the Mac store have it on my very broken hard drive. By the way, forgive typos, as I haven't installed a proper word processor yet and Google documents is strangely lacking in a decent spelling/grammar check.

In case you're wondering - THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. (All caps for those that do not usually read my author notes.) It will be fairly short, but then, it'll be done and I'll be starting my next story. Full details about that will be the author's notes of the epilogue - so you get two treats for the price of one. LoL.

Oh, and just in case nobody realized it - my deviantART account (user name - ReplicantAngel) has a journal. If ever I have something major going on in my life again, like a hard drive failure, and you're wondering where I am, skip on over there and see if my journal sheds any light on it. I felt bad that only my dA readers knew what was going on, but FFN removes stories with just author's notes as chapters...

Thank you again for all the support and the SingleSpark awards! Kisses!


	29. Epilogue

A/N: And here we are! Wow, it's been almost two years since I started this story. I'm sad to leave it, but excited too - it means that I can start on something new all over again, and that's always enjoyable. At the end of this epilogue, there's a brief description of my next story. I hope that all of you give it a chance - I think it'll be something a bit different and definitely fun!

I probably shouldn't have written this, since the end of the previous chapter was such a big hit and all... but I promised. And far be it from me to deny you guys. :)

I have one more piece of fabulous artwork for this story, which can be also found if you just go to my favorites section on dA or directly to the URL (remember to remove the spaces!):

"Hit the Mark, Kags" by Tsarashi - tsarashi.deviantart. com/art/ Hit-the-mark-Kags-89632405

Thanks, Tsarashi! And thank you to everyone who has supported this story by reviewing it, nominating it, voting for it, doing artwork for it or even just reading it! Kisses to you all!

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Epilogue

"Oh, gross!"

Kagome paused, the knife hovering above the cutting board and the carrots she was chopping for her mother. A moment later, the cry was repeated, still laced with both horror and entertainment.

"What are they watching?" she asked, looking towards her mother. Tinny sounds of yelling were coming from, presumably, the television set and it sounded ghastly.

The elder woman shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something his friend let him borrow."

Kagome rolled her eyes as another recorded scream ripped through the air. "He's almost eighteen. Shouldn't he have gotten past the needless violence thing by now?"

Her mother chuckled. "Sesshoumaru is watching it too, you know."

"Of _course_ he is," she replied. She put down the knife and walked into the living room. Her brother was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, transfixed by the flashes of gore on the screen. Sesshoumaru was frowning though, with his head tilted to one side and his brow furrowed slightly. She recognized the look - it was one that he gave her whenever he didn't quite believe the tales coming from her mouth about the modern era. After more than two years of traveling back and forth, this look had become a lot less common, but she felt the tug of a smile on her lips to see it again. He knew what a television was, of course, so she deduced that it was something on the screen that perplexed him. Not that she was going to look. "What's up?" she asked instead.

"This," he began slowly, waving his hand towards the set, "is completely ridiculous."

Kagome leaned over and picked up the DVD box from where it rested next to their brand new flat-screen television. "It's called _Hostel_," she said, wrinkling her nose at the cover art. According to the summary, it was about backpackers that got trapped in some dirty little town that had a 'dark, deadly secret'. Right - well, she could guess what that was based on the general tone of what she had heard so far. Not her cup of tea. She put the box down. "The plot does seem rather... far out there."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That is not the reason it is ridiculous."

There was another batch of angry yelling and swearing - Kagome hoped that Sesshoumaru wouldn't pick up such words, because that would be extremely awkward to hear them from his mouth - but Sota had lost interest. "Why then?" the boy asked.

"Hold on," Kagome interrupted as the dog demon opened his mouth. "Is this going to venture into the territory of why severed limbs don't bleed this way or that way? Or how burn victims should be going into shock?"

"You've seen this," Sota said.

The dog demon was nodding. "It is fake."

"Well, of course it is," Kagome replied, slightly exasperated. She had explained this concept several times already. Television - not real. Except for the news. And those reality shows that kept popping up everywhere. But generally, things on television were not real. She hadn't dared to bring him to a proper movie in a proper movie theater yet - Sesshoumaru sniffed disdainfully about the general stink of humans anyway and she thought that locking him in a room with several dozen moviegoers would never be a very viable option. But if she did, she would have expected him to place 'movies' in the same 'not real' category as regular television.

He frowned at her. "They did not do any proper research."

"I don't even want to know what you consider 'proper research'," she replied, doing little air quotes. "Something disgusting and completely weird for any human to contemplate, I'm sure."

"And yet it was a human that conceived of this drivel," he countered.

"But did you do that sort of stuff?" Sota asked suddenly and his sister and brother-in-law both looked at him sharply. He shrugged. "Just wondering if that's what's getting Kagome all worked up."

"I have many stories," Sesshoumaru began. He was beginning to like this boy. When he had first come to Kagome's home, Sota had been annoyingly distressed that he wasn't Inuyasha. How he could be inferior to his half-brother was incomprehensible but upon Kagome's suggestion, the taiyoukai had allowed the teenager to look at - not touch - Tokijin. When he had detailed their fight against Nameless - again at Kagome's behest - Sota's loyalties were quickly and irreparably reordered. Kagome had told him that Inuyasha still visited and that Sota simply admired both brothers, but Sesshoumaru found that he could forgive this since the boy seemed to have developed the keen sense not to mention one brother in the other's presence.

"But you're not telling him anything," his mate said.

"I'm eighteen!" protested Sota.

Kagome arched her eyebrow in a displeased way that she had clearly picked up from Sesshoumaru. It was only slightly less effective on his sister's face than on the taiyoukai's. "Not quite," she said, "so no disgusting stories."

"Dinner's ready!" called her mother, cutting off any further arguments.

Sota lurched off of the sofa, untangling his long limbs in a graceless way that looked unusual beside Sesshoumaru's constant refined movements. "I don't get to hear anything good," he muttered, pressing the pause button on the DVD player.

Sesshoumaru straighted up, his white kimono unfolding and falling back into place around him. On very rare occasions, she had managed to force him into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the excuse that she simply refused to take him around town looking as he did. As handsome as he looked in modern clothing - she was melting even now thinking of exactly how delicious he looked in the black t-shirt that her mother had accidentally bought one size too small - she did prefer this more lordly look. He didn't wear his armor or swords inside the house, of course, but it just seemed proper that he look like the taiyoukai he was, even in the modern era.

She smiled suddenly and he paused, confused by this evaporation of annoyance. Not that he wasn't getting used to the mood swings of his mate, but they did come at the oddest times. And sometimes, when he depended upon them, she wouldn't stop being angry and take a swipe at him. Either way, he usually caught her and persuaded her towards more... mutually beneficial activities. But this didn't seem like a very opportune moment - her mother was calling for them again.

"Kagome?" he asked.

She let out a soft sigh, still smiling. "Yes?"

His eyes shifted to the doorway to the kitchen, where her mother was noisily placing the food on the table. Well, noisily to him. He wondered how Kagome had learned to keep her movements gentle and quiet - it was certainly not something he had taught to her, although it was something he appreciated. "Are you alright?"

"Yup. Just thought of something nice," she replied.

"And your brother's request for my stories?"

Kagome shook her head, the dreamy look in her eyes quickly fading. "Oh, no. You're not telling him a thing. I do the story-telling. I edit things out. You don't. Some of your stories could be a substitute for ipecac and that's from a girl who has been knee-deep in demon guts." She cast a glance towards the kitchen. "He's being such a little ghoul tonight. I wonder what's with him."

"I believe he..." The taiyoukai paused and searched his new, broader lexicon for the correct word. "He got dumped."

She had enough sisterly affection for the 'little ghoul' to soften. "Did he? They'd been dating for ages though." She sent him a slightly wounded look. "How did you know before me?"

"He told me."

Kagome gestured to the television. "Ah. So this was a male bonding thing?" she asked with a grin. "What could you say to him? Every girl in your life has fallen at your feet and the only one you wanted, you got."

"Not without considerable trouble," he commented dryly. One corner of his mouth lifted. "Considerable, _continual_ trouble. I am therefore quite able to commiserate on the impossibility of living with females."

She smirked back. "I would feel sorry for you, except that I know how much you enjoy it," she answered, enjoying how her mate's jaw tightened. With a light laugh, she reached up to press a kiss to his lips. "Come on. Dinner time."

"Impossible," he muttered, following her into the kitchen.

"So, are you two staying for long this time?" Kagome's mother asked as they sat down. "You haven't stayed overnight in quite awhile."

"We'll be here for a couple days," Kagome replied.

"I am leaving in the morning," Sesshoumaru said.

His mate turned to look at him. "You are? You didn't tell me that."

"I have some official matters to attend to," he replied.

She furrowed her brow. "Official matters? Like what, exactly?" she asked. Sesshoumaru had long ago explained to her in detail the crumbling of the demonic hierarchy, just as the humans began to set up their own feudal system. No one really had 'official matters' anymore, even someone with an exalted title like Sesshoumaru.

"Matters that require my immediate, personal attention."

Kagome sighed and tapped the table with her nails. "That means you're going to be fighting. Please, don't. Not if you don't have to. I can't imagine it'd be very pressing if you're not going right now."

Sesshoumaru looked at her. "I will take the utmost care in my duties."

"So," Grandpa broke in, looking between the placid taiyoukai and slightly upset miko, "when am I getting great-grandchildren? Hm. Or would it be great-grand-youkai?"

"Grandpa, Kagome has told us several times that they're not starting a family yet," her mother reminded.

"We already have a family anyway," Kagome said, blushing slightly. "Rin and Shippo are still young. And we really can't travel around like we do now with a baby. I mean, I wouldn't trade my life for anything, but it's not entirely safe. Sesshoumaru and I fight a lot of youkai. And they would be hanyou, by the way. Not full youkai."

"Ah, of course. I was just wondering." Grandpa shrugged and went back to his food.

Sota, meanwhile, cast a skeptical glance at the taiyoukai. "And that's okay? That they're going to be hanyou?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from his plate. "Why should it not be?"

The boy grinned as his sister glowed with quiet happiness. "No reason," he said.

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"Keh, I don't believe you."

Sesshoumaru turned his cold eyes towards his brother. "Then do not believe me. I do not care about your opinion."

There was a moment of silence. "I don't believe that you've never threatened Kagome's family," Inuyasha insisted again. "I mean, they're _human_."

"I will be certain to tell my mate of this latent hatred you hold for her kin," Sesshoumaru commented idly, sliding another tile into place.

"That's not what I meant!" sputtered the hanyou. "I meant that you're supposed to hate them because they're human. I don't!" He jammed a piece of his own down and sent a small cascade of the roof tiles down the slope.

Sesshoumaru sighed and caught the half dozen shingles with one hand. "I have come to revise my opinions on humans. Only the vast majority of them are wastes of energy and space." He climbed back up to his place and redid the patch Inuyasha had fouled up.

"Yeah. See, that's what I don't believe. You're the most stubborn son of a bitch I've ever met and to admit that you were wrong..."

"I admit no wrong. I only admit exclusions to my rule," Sesshoumaru interrupted swiftly. "Kagome's family members are not the first to do so."

Inuyasha turned, looking down at the courtyard, where Rin and Shippo were chatting in the shade of a tree. "Right," he muttered.

"And to speak of this Sesshoumaru as stubborn," continued the taiyoukai, "is ridiculous. You should examine your own behavior, little brother."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the hanyou grumbled, his ears flattening back to his head.

"Exactly how long do you plan to court the miko?" Sesshoumaru asked, calmly finishing the roof patch and moving to the next area which had suffered water damage. He tore out the sodden tiles, letting them slide down the slope of the roof and fall onto the ground. "Do you wish to take her as your mate or not?"

"Of course I do," snapped Inuyasha. "It's just... different this time."

"Oh?" drawled the taiyoukai disinterestedly.

His younger brother scowled. "Well, she's alive again, but we can't just forget everything that happened. You should know! You and Kagome took forever to get over the past."

"Mere weeks," commented Sesshoumaru. He fixed Inuyasha with a scrutinizing stare. "Once I realized that I had suffered for three hundred years and that salvation was at last within my reach, I attained it. So yes, I do know. But unlike you, little brother, I realized my mistake and corrected it quickly."

"Ha! See? A mistake. You admit it."

The taiyoukai frowned. "I am not so close-minded that I do not see my own error. The strongest of creatures learn from such mistakes. The stupidest and weakest are doomed to repeat them."

Inuyasha growled and turned back to the roof, slicing through a few rotted wooden tiles. "You're lucky Kagome took you back," he muttered.

Sesshoumaru paused and sat back for a moment. "Yes, I am," he admitted, drawing a shocked look from his brother. "Will you be so fortunate?"

"Keh."

"And the miko no longer stands still in time. She is only human now and she ages as one."

"I know!" snapped the hanyou. His ears drooped immediately. "Kagome said that the spell you two did, the one that makes sure she lives as long as you, isn't as easy as just saying the words."

"No, it is not," Sesshoumaru agreed.

He frowned. "So then, what if it doesn't work for me and Kikyo?"

Sesshoumaru sent him a sharp look. "You put off taking her as your mate because you are afraid that she may not live as your mate for very long?"

"I could outlive her by centuries," Inuyasha argued.

"Until you are willing to have only a few years with the miko and live the rest of your life in despair without her, the spell will never work," Sesshoumaru said, continuing to tile the roof. "If you let those years pass by in indecision, you are a bigger idiot than I previously thought."

"You're such a bastard."

The taiyoukai shrugged.

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyou paused in his work and looked down the slope of the roof to where Sango stood on the ground, shading her eyes. "Yeah, what is it?" he grumped.

"We need more water. Could you go with Kikyo to the river?"

Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru, busy with his work, and back to the taijiya. She was slightly round underneath her kimono - her first child would be born during the upcoming winter. "Yeah, okay." He stood and jumped down, finding Kikyo standing under the eaves with buckets in hand. They regarded one another with a hint of embarrassment. Perhaps this had been going on too long, Inuyasha thought, damning his brother at the same time for being right. "Come on," he said, taking all of the pails from the miko's hands. "I gotta talk to you about something anyway."

Kikyo smiled softly. "Alright."

"Hey, Inuyasha, can we come with you?" Shippo called, pointing at Rin.

"No." Sesshoumaru landed on the ground gracefully, answering for his brother. "You two will stay here. Kagome is close." He watched out of the corner of his eye as his sibling slipped away with Kikyo and inwardly hoped the idiot would have the sense to make her his mate soon. He was tired of Kagome worrying over them, and more specifically, telling him how much she worried over them. He did love his mate, but she had the unfortunate habit of chattering as they prepared for bed, and that was precisely the time that he did not want to be thinking about his _brother's_ love life.

Rin got to her feet, smiling happily. "Do you think Kagome-san will be pleased, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru regarded the twelve-room house that they had spent the last few days cleaning up and repairing. Even if Kagome didn't like it, she would appreciate the work. More than that, she would appreciate what the house meant for their lives. "Yes," he replied simply.

"Here they are," Sango said, pointing to where Kirara was skimming above the trees with its three passengers. As the fire-cat circled to land, they could see Kagome leaning forward over Miroku's shoulder.

The miko slid off as soon as they touched ground. Jaken tripped after her. "My lord! Forgive us! The girl... ah, I mean, L-lady Kagome was late. You know I can't go through the well to retrieve her and she did not return for..."

"Jaken, go and clean up a room where we can eat lunch," Sesshoumaru ordered, effectively silencing the imp. He looked towards his mate. "You are late, however," he added.

She smiled and dropped her bag on the ground. "Doesn't seem like you've been at a loss of what to do," she commented, looking beyond him at the dark wood and curved roof of the house. "What is this about? Is this your 'official' business?"

"It's our home," he replied. "If you want."

The smile faded but the wonder in her eyes multiplied. "Really? Do you mean it?" she whispered. "I didn't think you would ever want to stop traveling."

"This is for the times that it is imperative that we have a roof over our heads," he replied. "We will still travel when it is possible."

Her eyes sparkled. "It's close to the well and the village," she observed.

"Hn. I suppose so."

"Who lived here?"

"A vassal of my father's. When he died without children, the house reverted to his ownership and then passed to me. Neither of us had a use for it."

She nodded and her smile broadened. "Until now. Will you show me around?" the miko asked, skipping up the stairs to the front entrance.

Sesshoumaru followed as Miroku and Sango quietly held back the children. "There is not much to show," he warned, sliding the door open and letting her pass through. "It is not as large as my father's castle."

"I don't want your father's castle," she said, immediately wandering down the hall towards the back of the house. Reaching a dead end, she opened a door at random to find the back garden. It was overgrown and in desperate need of care, but it had a lot of promise. Vines covered the stone wall that surrounded the house and delicate willows arched over the koi pond that was, for the moment, lacking any koi.

"This is not part of the actual house," he pointed out as he stepped outside with her.

"Rin will love this," Kagome said instead of replying. "Has she seen it yet?"

He nodded. "Several times. She needs assistance in clearing out the overgrowth before she is able to plant again."

"I'll help her." She meandered over to the pond. "You really found the perfect place, Sesshoumaru. Close to my friends and the well, so I can go home to see my family. Rin has her garden. Shippo will help her. I don't care what it looks like on the inside. It's going to be lovely." She looked over her shoulder at the taiyoukai. "But what about you? You don't change your routine very often, you know. And this is such a big change."

He sat down at the base of the largest willow tree. "Perhaps, but a necessary one," he said. "You will bear my heir in a place that is well-protected. And he will remain here until you have both recovered from you vulnerability."

She laughed. "It could be a girl, you know." She wagged her finger at him. "I'm not even pregnant yet and you're already making guesses about how the baby will turn out!"

He took a breath. "Male or female, I only seek to ensure its safety. And yours."

She slid into his lap and looped her arms around his neck. "Nothing will happen to us," she assured him.

"That is all I require," he commented as she tucked her head under his chin.

Kagome let out a soft ripple of laughter as she turned her eyes back to the house. "Even when you were young, I never thought of you as very much of a family man," she said. "And yet, here you are, roofing a house for me and whatever children we might have. The two that we already do have, actually. How strange."

"Perhaps," he halfway admitted.

"And did I see Inuyasha and Kikyo heading towards the river together as I flew over?" she asked. "Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Perhaps," he said again, his tone turning rough with annoyance.

She smiled. "I'm glad. For them and that you took pity on him."

"Pity had nothing to do with it," Sesshoumaru said shortly.

"I'm sure," she laughed. "You probably gave him a really hard time about it, but that's what brothers do. And I'm just glad you got past the whole trying to kill each other thing."

His gave her a hooded glance, telling her that perhaps such a declaration was premature, but she didn't let it faze her. "I think your father would be proud of you, Sesshoumaru," she said, sobering slightly.

He leaned back against the willow, pulling her with him. "You know better than I do," he commented. "In a few days, you learned more of my father than I did in my younger centuries."

"That's not true. But I do know that all he wanted was his sons to be happy. Inuyasha is working on it. Are you happy though? I am."

"That is not a word that I would ever use," he dodged.

"Oh, come on. You've told me far more intimate things over the years. It's a simple question," she teased. She heard the shouting and tumbling of the children in the distance - they were coming around the edge of the house. "I'll never tell. But you have to say it quickly."

But in a second, Rin and Shippo spilled around the corner of the home he was rebuilding. Kagome moved to lift herself from his lap, but he held onto her waist, keeping her in place for a moment longer. "I will send them away," he said. "This is the other reason I will be pleased to have a home."

"With walls?" Kagome said, smiling. As much as she loved the children, they did have terrible timing quite often. "What if they need something?"

"Doubtful."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried, waving her arms. "Sesshoumaru-sama, there's someone at the gate asking for you."

She could help but shake her head. "See?" she murmured, getting to her feet. "At least they have a reason this time though."

"Hn." Sesshoumaru lifted himself off the ground. "Who is it?"

"He didn't say, but he seems nice," Shippo answered. "Miroku and Sango are watching him. They won't let him in without you saying it's okay and so they sent us to get you."

"I have told you several times," began the dog demon.

"Don't put trust in someone's appearance. They can always be an enemy," the children chanted together.

"We know, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin added. "But he does seem nice. He says you're a friend of his family."

The taiyoukai frowned as the ebb and flow of a powerful demon aura touched his own. Next to him, Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. "That's a strong one," she murmured, following as Sesshoumaru started back to the house. She paused to catch her breath as she tried to keep pace. "Stronger than you?"

His frown deepened. "Yes," he replied, sending a shiver of fear down Kagome's spine.

When they reached the front courtyard, however, the strange demon was leaning against the gate and chatting amiably with the monk and slayer. He straightened as Sesshoumaru descended the steps. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" He bowed, lowering his malachite eyes and letting his dark brown hair fall over one shoulder. "It is an honor. And of course, Lady Kagome." He smiled and bowed again towards the miko.

Kagome watched her mate do a quick study of the demon on the other side of the iron gate. Although the youkai was dressed in plain blue and had no marks of nobility, the fact that Sesshoumaru did not rudely demand who this stranger was told her that he deserved all possible deference. "Have we met?" the dog demon asked after a moment.

The stranger smiled. "No. You have met my mate and my daughter, however, and they both speak highly of you. I heard that you were settling in this area and could not pass through without visiting and meeting you for myself. I am Taro."

Sesshoumaru pulled open the gate to the surprise of no one. Taro was clearly a lord and not someone who could be stopped by a flimsy iron gate in need of repair. "You are welcome to my home," the taiyoukai said a bit stiffly.

"And it is a beautiful one," he said, taking only one step inside. "I know this place and you have done wonders in a short time."

"Not everything is set up quite yet," Kagome said, "but I did bring a large lunch from... ah, my family's home. I have extra and we'd love it if you could join us, especially since Inuyasha isn't here. There'll be plenty."

Taro nodded. "Ah, Lord Inuyasha. I had looked forward to meeting him as well."

"My brother is occupied at the moment," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome smiled helpfully. "But he might be back soon. Or not," she added, thinking on it. "Either way, you should come and have lunch."

"I thank you for your kindness, Lady Kagome, but I was only passing by. My daughter is waiting for me and we do have to reach our destination by nightfall." His handsome face melted into a smile. "Perhaps on our return, you will be more settled into your new home and we might join you?"

"Of course," the miko replied.

"Thank you," he said again. "May you receive all the blessings the gods have to offer." He bowed once more and turned away, taking a path back into the forest.

"That was an unusual and short visit," commented Sango.

"Like he just wanted to see if we were who we said we were," Miroku added. "Who exactly was he?"

Sesshoumaru blinked. "I am not certain." He looked to his mate with one eyebrow arched. "Did you know him?"

Kagome shook her head slowly and then walked out of the walled property, peering into the forest. She could see Taro moving smoothly and easily through the trees. Just before he faded into the shadows, another figure joined the strange demon. Clothed in bright yellow and green, Kagome could clearly see when the second figure turned in her direction, raising one hand in greeting. The miko waved back just as Sesshoumaru came to her elbow. "Who is that with him? I can't see."

The taiyoukai frowned and his sharper eyes narrowed. "It is the girl," he said. "The one that assists the witch."

"Ami?" she said breathlessly.

He nodded. "I recognized a scent on Taro. It was hers."

She took his hand in hers suddenly. "If that's Ami, then that must be Hoshiko's mate. She wouldn't have left for anyone else. I guess she was their daughter all along."

"A strong possibility," said the taiyoukai. "Only a demon of his age and importance could exude that powerful of an aura."

"Taro means first son," she whispered.

"The first of all sons," added Sesshoumaru.

She took a breath. "And he blessed us." Her hand tightened around his. "She told me once that Hoshiko's mate saw great battles, ate with the gods and met heroes. She said she was going to tell him our story, about Nameless and Naraku."

"Perhaps that is true," conceded the dog demon. "Perhaps she did."

Kagome looked at him. "Well then, you don't think...?"

"I don't think that we can presume anything with such an ancient creature," Sesshoumaru replied. "His reasons for wanting to meet with us are his own."

The startled look in her eye faded and she laughed softly. "Oh, come on. Where's that famous ego of yours?"

"Hn," grumbled the taiyoukai. He lifted his chin. "Very well. I believe that he came to meet those that defeated the two greatest threats to this land in the last three hundred years."

"Better. That sounds like you," said Kagome nodding. "I can't say that I'm that displeased about the favor of someone like that though. So, you have someone as close to a god as you can get telling you that you're a hero, that you're that important to warrant a visit from someone like him. Are you happy now?" she asked, returning to the question she posed in the back garden.

He scoffed lightly. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I do not need the validation of a demi-god or even a god. I am content in my life."

Kagome smiled. "Sesshoumaru?"

"I am happy," he amended with a soft sigh.

"As you should be," she teased. "That wasn't so difficult though, was it?" She reached up and put her arms around his shoulders, touching her lips to his. He held her to him with both of his clawed hands, careful to not hurt her. It was just as her fingers were sliding into his hair that the inevitable occurred.

"Kagome!" called Shippo. "Can we eat lunch now?" The sound of a fox kit burrowing into her bag floated out of the gate.

The miko broke away from her mate and gave him a half-smile. "Again! And we want more?"

"Once more, I would like to point out the utility of walls in our new life," he said.

"I'll be interested to see how well that plan will work," she said laughing, and slipped her hand into his again. "Come on, then."

They turned together and walked through the gate into their home.

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A/N: The End! :D

To answer the inevitable question right here, right now - I'm not going to write a sequel. Sorry! I'm just ready to move to other stories. Speaking of which, I should probably tell you about it, eh?

"Beside You in Time" comes from an idea that has evolved over the better part of a year. Stories (including mine) seem to confine themselves to two times and one place - the Sengoku Jidai or the modern era, both in Japan. Only AU fics seem to go outside of these norms. I wondered - what exactly do our dear characters DO in between? Five hundred years is quite a bit of time, even for a demon, after all. So in this story, Sesshoumaru and Kagome - as we know them and see them in the anime - are going to have a lot more travel in their lives. "After the Jewel is stolen and the wish is made, Kagome finds herself cursed with immortality. She soon convinces Sesshoumaru to help her track down the increasingly powerful thieves and they find themselves traveling all over the world and running headlong into some of the more cataclysmic periods of human history." (That's basically the summary that I will be using - so I don't give too much away! And it is so DIFFICULT not to do so - I want to gush about everything! Okay, moving on...) It's going to be darker, more violent and in general more adult than my other stories - the title comes from a Nine Inch Nails song after all.

Anyway, it's going to be a blast and I hope you think so too! There's much fun to be had putting those two in close quarters for nearly half a millennium. :)

I think that's it! Please read and review! And let me give you another great, big THANK YOU!!


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